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imme_van_gorp's Reviews (778)
This was cute, but it didn't exactly sweep me off my feet. It's obviously a cliché premise, although that never really bothers me. If anything, it's more that there wasn't much that really stood out: it was all sweet, but not something that made my heart flutter uncontrollably, if you get what I mean.
Also, the overall writing style wasn't really for me. There isn't anything wrong with it in general, but it just did not seem to fit with the story all that well. It was a bit too serious and stiff for a rom-com and made some parts slightly boring.
Lucy and Josh are both likeable characters in my opinion, but I think I liked Josh more. However, I do have to wonder at his abilities to make a girl like him, because I can 100% understand Lucy being confused about what his feelings were. I guess I'll never really get the "I like you, but I'll act like I hate you" thing. It makes little to no sense to me, but oh well, some people are just different I guess.
I do like the way Lucy and Josh went back and forth in this book though; they seem like an even match. I didn't find their banter particularly funny or anything, but it was entertaining nonetheless because of their chemistry.
We eventually find out Josh did all his little annoying things out of fascination and love for Lucy, but it's a shame we don't get to hear those true feelings until so much later in the book (even if we had already guessed the jist of it): it's one of the main flaws when romance books like this aren't dual POV.
I mean, some might say the not-knowing helps with the tension, but I am not one of them. I like knowing when the other person is enamoured with the other, especially when it's at that moment still unrequited. I am a sucker for pining.
Also, the overall writing style wasn't really for me. There isn't anything wrong with it in general, but it just did not seem to fit with the story all that well. It was a bit too serious and stiff for a rom-com and made some parts slightly boring.
Lucy and Josh are both likeable characters in my opinion, but I think I liked Josh more. However, I do have to wonder at his abilities to make a girl like him, because I can 100% understand Lucy being confused about what his feelings were. I guess I'll never really get the "I like you, but I'll act like I hate you" thing. It makes little to no sense to me, but oh well, some people are just different I guess.
I do like the way Lucy and Josh went back and forth in this book though; they seem like an even match. I didn't find their banter particularly funny or anything, but it was entertaining nonetheless because of their chemistry.
We eventually find out Josh did all his little annoying things out of fascination and love for Lucy, but it's a shame we don't get to hear those true feelings until so much later in the book (even if we had already guessed the jist of it): it's one of the main flaws when romance books like this aren't dual POV.
I mean, some might say the not-knowing helps with the tension, but I am not one of them. I like knowing when the other person is enamoured with the other, especially when it's at that moment still unrequited. I am a sucker for pining.
Oh, what to say, what to say? What can I say to explain why I did not love this book, even though I did like it.
I think it mostly comes down to this: this book is a mixture of sadness, humour and philosophical musings, which resulted in a book that was never really any of those. They conflicted with each other too much to make each of them reach their full potential.
Especially the philosophical stuff made it harder to feel the sadness of it all, because it made the novel feel unreal. Whenever the characters spoke, they sounded not only like 70 year olds whereas they're supposed to be teenagers, but also like characters who can only exist on paper. No one would speak like this in real life. No one would have conversations like this, not if they couldn't think long and hard before speaking. And even then, I doubt anyone's talks would sound remotely as they did in this book. It's too.. distant.
That’s not to say I didn’t like the characters though, because I absolutely did. I admired Hazel’s strength and I adored the way Gus loved. They had well-developed and lovable personalities. Their romance was also just very sweet and I did feel connected with them.
But, for a book that is supposed to be heart-wrenching, it is a bit of a problem when the writing style makes it hard to feel any emotions.
However, the story itself was so incredibly heart-breaking, that I did end up feeling sad enough to cry like a little baby, but my point is, that it could have been way better. The incredible sadness of the story was right there, if only the writing would have been a little more suited to it.
Before reading this novel, I knew what was going to happen. As in, I knew how it was going to end, which would have otherwise probably been very shocking. This prior knowledge, of course, made my reading experience extremely different from someone without that knowledge, and I can't say how I would have felt during this book, had I not known. Therefore, my judgement isn't completely objective, and cannot be viewed as such.
I think it mostly comes down to this: this book is a mixture of sadness, humour and philosophical musings, which resulted in a book that was never really any of those. They conflicted with each other too much to make each of them reach their full potential.
Especially the philosophical stuff made it harder to feel the sadness of it all, because it made the novel feel unreal. Whenever the characters spoke, they sounded not only like 70 year olds whereas they're supposed to be teenagers, but also like characters who can only exist on paper. No one would speak like this in real life. No one would have conversations like this, not if they couldn't think long and hard before speaking. And even then, I doubt anyone's talks would sound remotely as they did in this book. It's too.. distant.
That’s not to say I didn’t like the characters though, because I absolutely did. I admired Hazel’s strength and I adored the way Gus loved. They had well-developed and lovable personalities. Their romance was also just very sweet and I did feel connected with them.
But, for a book that is supposed to be heart-wrenching, it is a bit of a problem when the writing style makes it hard to feel any emotions.
However, the story itself was so incredibly heart-breaking, that I did end up feeling sad enough to cry like a little baby, but my point is, that it could have been way better. The incredible sadness of the story was right there, if only the writing would have been a little more suited to it.
Before reading this novel, I knew what was going to happen. As in, I knew how it was going to end, which would have otherwise probably been very shocking. This prior knowledge, of course, made my reading experience extremely different from someone without that knowledge, and I can't say how I would have felt during this book, had I not known. Therefore, my judgement isn't completely objective, and cannot be viewed as such.
This book really disappointed me. It wasn’t at all the fun and sweet novel I have grown accustomed to with this series. And it wasn’t even the good kind of serious either, because I didn’t particularly care for any of the drama and neither was it executed very well. The whole thing was rather boring and everything fell a bit flat.
To be fair, I actually kind of liked the beginning of this novel. It really wasn’t bad and it had potential. When Sabrina got knocked up, however, everything went completely down the drain. I hate accidental pregnancy tropes, and this one was no different. It ruined all the tension and it just became forced and too much: Slow-burn passion (which was already not so slow-burn due to a bunch of insta-love on Tucker’s side) became immediate obligation.
It’s not even that I didn’t like Tucker and Sabrina. They were okay; I just didn’t really care for them. They made such odd choices and their communication was horrifyingly bad. Also, Tucker lacked personality in my opinion. He was nice, but he was kind of just there. He didn't seem like a real person to me.
If there’s one thing I learned after this last book though, it’s that I really freaking dislike Dean. He’s always been my least favourite of the guys, but now he actually makes me kind of angry. He’s such an arsehole.
Speaking of people I didn’t like in this book: Tucker’s mom. Damn, did that woman get on my nerves. She was such a hypocrite too, as she was more than happy to let Tucker change his whole life to live with her in Texas, but got all bitchy to Sabrina when her son had to alter his life for their upcoming child. I hated her with a fiery passion and I, more than once, wanted Tucker to tell her to shut up and mind her damn business.
Anyway, I am glad, however, that my fav, Garrett, still appears to be the cutie that we know and love. Every time I did laugh during this book, which was few and far between, it was because of something he (or Logan) said. Garrett and Hannah will always be the best couple. Love them. And honestly, seeing flickers of them in this novel really made me realize how much more I liked The Deal than any of the other books in this series.
I mean, the series really started off on such a high, but it’s been going down-hill ever since. I still have faith that the spin-off series will pick up, though, so I’m not going to quit this universe just yet.
To be fair, I actually kind of liked the beginning of this novel. It really wasn’t bad and it had potential. When Sabrina got knocked up, however, everything went completely down the drain. I hate accidental pregnancy tropes, and this one was no different. It ruined all the tension and it just became forced and too much: Slow-burn passion (which was already not so slow-burn due to a bunch of insta-love on Tucker’s side) became immediate obligation.
It’s not even that I didn’t like Tucker and Sabrina. They were okay; I just didn’t really care for them. They made such odd choices and their communication was horrifyingly bad. Also, Tucker lacked personality in my opinion. He was nice, but he was kind of just there. He didn't seem like a real person to me.
If there’s one thing I learned after this last book though, it’s that I really freaking dislike Dean. He’s always been my least favourite of the guys, but now he actually makes me kind of angry. He’s such an arsehole.
Speaking of people I didn’t like in this book: Tucker’s mom. Damn, did that woman get on my nerves. She was such a hypocrite too, as she was more than happy to let Tucker change his whole life to live with her in Texas, but got all bitchy to Sabrina when her son had to alter his life for their upcoming child. I hated her with a fiery passion and I, more than once, wanted Tucker to tell her to shut up and mind her damn business.
Anyway, I am glad, however, that my fav, Garrett, still appears to be the cutie that we know and love. Every time I did laugh during this book, which was few and far between, it was because of something he (or Logan) said. Garrett and Hannah will always be the best couple. Love them. And honestly, seeing flickers of them in this novel really made me realize how much more I liked The Deal than any of the other books in this series.
I mean, the series really started off on such a high, but it’s been going down-hill ever since. I still have faith that the spin-off series will pick up, though, so I’m not going to quit this universe just yet.
This prequel novella seems like a good beginning to an interesting series: The characters appear likable, the world-building is creative, the writing goes at a pleasant pace and the plot has potential.
It also doesn't hurt that I already found myself to be invested in how this story is going to turn out.
I definitely enjoyed this read and I am eager to continue with The Raven and the Dove.
It also doesn't hurt that I already found myself to be invested in how this story is going to turn out.
I definitely enjoyed this read and I am eager to continue with The Raven and the Dove.
It’s difficult to pin down my exact thoughts on this book.
On the surface, this seems like a novel I would love: two people, who appear to be complete opposites of each other, form a connection where both would do anything to be with the other person.
That premise seems right up my alley. And so, I was disappointed when I wasn’t particularly swept away by it.
Amanda and Michelle are both likable characters. They’re very different appearance wise as Amanda is femme while Michelle is butch.
I liked how Amanda grew to admire Michelle despite her pre-conceived notions about butch lesbians, but I liked it even more how Michelle seemed to be enamoured by Amanda instantly: it was cute.
They eventually got to a more even playing field with both being equally in love with the other, but I always appreciate a good ‘chase’ in the beginning and this was executed fairly well here.
After the starting point, everything fell a bit flat though. Nothing much happened: no tension, no conflict, no drama. Just.. nothing really.
This got a bit boring over time and even Michelle and Amanda’s easy personalities and sweet relationship couldn’t erase the numbness of their story. I needed more; I needed to feel something. Which I didn’t.
I think perhaps this novel could have had a bit more depth if we would have read from Michelle’s perspective as well, rather than only from Amanda’s. But even then, the story itself would have probably still been too bland to really be good.
It’s a shame, honestly. With a great premise like this, the outcome seems like a wasted opportunity to me.
On the surface, this seems like a novel I would love: two people, who appear to be complete opposites of each other, form a connection where both would do anything to be with the other person.
That premise seems right up my alley. And so, I was disappointed when I wasn’t particularly swept away by it.
Amanda and Michelle are both likable characters. They’re very different appearance wise as Amanda is femme while Michelle is butch.
I liked how Amanda grew to admire Michelle despite her pre-conceived notions about butch lesbians, but I liked it even more how Michelle seemed to be enamoured by Amanda instantly: it was cute.
They eventually got to a more even playing field with both being equally in love with the other, but I always appreciate a good ‘chase’ in the beginning and this was executed fairly well here.
After the starting point, everything fell a bit flat though. Nothing much happened: no tension, no conflict, no drama. Just.. nothing really.
This got a bit boring over time and even Michelle and Amanda’s easy personalities and sweet relationship couldn’t erase the numbness of their story. I needed more; I needed to feel something. Which I didn’t.
I think perhaps this novel could have had a bit more depth if we would have read from Michelle’s perspective as well, rather than only from Amanda’s. But even then, the story itself would have probably still been too bland to really be good.
It’s a shame, honestly. With a great premise like this, the outcome seems like a wasted opportunity to me.
Well.. this is definitely something different. This book takes on the interesting task of mixing a romance contemporary with a thriller by having the female main character be a serial killer with a mysterious and heart-wrenching past. I found it to be very intriguing and well-executed for the most part.
It's surely showing potential as the first book of a series: I'm hooked and very eager to see everything get pieced together. I am also very excited to see the resolution to Lana/Victoria's revenge and to find out what Logan's reaction will be to it all.
I wonder if this plotline will stretch through the entire series or if some of the later books will contain new characters and stories. I actually wouldn't mind if it turns out that S.T. Abby used all five book to really tell this particular story in depth.
Anyway, since this book ended in the middle of the story and with a cliff-hanger, I'm at least sure Sidetracked will continue where the first book left off. And I honestly can't wait!
Oh, and I would also just like to add that Lana is a bad-ass and I might like her a bit too much seeing she’s a serial killer and all. Not that I feel any remorse for her victims of course. They deserve death and I was 100% rooting for Lana to remain the strong woman she is and succeed in killing them all one by one. I’d love it if this series ends with Logan joining in on her avenging angel scheme.
It's surely showing potential as the first book of a series: I'm hooked and very eager to see everything get pieced together. I am also very excited to see the resolution to Lana/Victoria's revenge and to find out what Logan's reaction will be to it all.
I wonder if this plotline will stretch through the entire series or if some of the later books will contain new characters and stories. I actually wouldn't mind if it turns out that S.T. Abby used all five book to really tell this particular story in depth.
Anyway, since this book ended in the middle of the story and with a cliff-hanger, I'm at least sure Sidetracked will continue where the first book left off. And I honestly can't wait!
Oh, and I would also just like to add that Lana is a bad-ass and I might like her a bit too much seeing she’s a serial killer and all. Not that I feel any remorse for her victims of course. They deserve death and I was 100% rooting for Lana to remain the strong woman she is and succeed in killing them all one by one. I’d love it if this series ends with Logan joining in on her avenging angel scheme.
Ooohh I'm really starting to get into this! This one picked up right where The Risk left off and also ended on a cliff-hanger, which makes me desperate to read the next book and basically the entire series, because I really need to know how all this ends!
This story definitely captivates me, not so much due to an emotional attachment, but more so by stirring up a lot of curiosity and adrenaline. Everything is so fast-paced, yet interesting, and I just can't get enough of it.
This story definitely captivates me, not so much due to an emotional attachment, but more so by stirring up a lot of curiosity and adrenaline. Everything is so fast-paced, yet interesting, and I just can't get enough of it.
This was an okay addition to the series, but I think I enjoyed this one the least so far. It didn't captivate me as much as the other two.
I find that I’m not a big fan of the romance in this series: it’s kind of leaving me cold.
The characters are also kind of under-developed, especially on an emotional level.
Really, I’m more interested in the mystery and thriller side of this story. I just really want to see how it all ends and what all the details are when it comes to that town’s weird mysterious past.
If there is one emotion I feel the most while reading this, it’s pure disgust for that religious town with its creepy Christian cult mentality. They breed monsters there, seriously. I can’t wait to see them all be brought down.
I find that I’m not a big fan of the romance in this series: it’s kind of leaving me cold.
The characters are also kind of under-developed, especially on an emotional level.
Really, I’m more interested in the mystery and thriller side of this story. I just really want to see how it all ends and what all the details are when it comes to that town’s weird mysterious past.
If there is one emotion I feel the most while reading this, it’s pure disgust for that religious town with its creepy Christian cult mentality. They breed monsters there, seriously. I can’t wait to see them all be brought down.
This was very action-packed and had me high on adrenaline. I was super into it!
This has definitely been my favourite book in the series so far. Everything just seemed to be a bit better with this one: the emotions, the crimes, the flashbacks, it all had me on my toes.
The book ended once again on a big cliff-hanger, so I am damn excited to read the next and final book. I hope it’ll all end on a big bang rather than go out with a meek sizzle.
So, here’s to hoping that town burns completely to the ground, but without Lana going down with it.
This has definitely been my favourite book in the series so far. Everything just seemed to be a bit better with this one: the emotions, the crimes, the flashbacks, it all had me on my toes.
The book ended once again on a big cliff-hanger, so I am damn excited to read the next and final book. I hope it’ll all end on a big bang rather than go out with a meek sizzle.
So, here’s to hoping that town burns completely to the ground, but without Lana going down with it.
This was a solid ending to the series. Not everything ended on an as satisfactory note as I would have liked, but I guess it could have been a lot worse.
For a storyline as dragged out as this one (seeing how it is spread out over five novels), I think the resolution to it all could have been a bit more in depth and detailed.
Especially the final phase of "the endgame" was a bit disappointing to me. I mean, I loved how Lana and Jake haunted the town and scared the crap out of everyone, but once they got everyone out of there, it started to go downhill: the shoot-out felt tacky and impersonal. Very different from the rest of the killings before that point. I'm not quite sure why S.T. Abby chose to go down that road, but oh well. I suppose she needed an easy and quick ending to their revenge…
For a storyline as dragged out as this one (seeing how it is spread out over five novels), I think the resolution to it all could have been a bit more in depth and detailed.
Especially the final phase of "the endgame" was a bit disappointing to me. I mean, I loved how Lana and Jake haunted the town and scared the crap out of everyone, but once they got everyone out of there, it started to go downhill: the shoot-out felt tacky and impersonal. Very different from the rest of the killings before that point. I'm not quite sure why S.T. Abby chose to go down that road, but oh well. I suppose she needed an easy and quick ending to their revenge…