Tag: chick lit

adult

Review: Orchard Valley Grooms by Debbie Macomber

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Orchard Valley #1-2

orchard valley grooms -debbie macomberValerie rushes home to Orchard Valley, Oregon, when her father, David, suffers a heart attack. She and her two younger sisters, Stephanie and Norah, are gathering at his side, praying he’ll live, fearing he’ll die.

At a time like this, falling in love is the last thing on Valerie’s mind. And with Dr. Colby Winston, of all people! He’s David’s heart surgeon, a renowned specialist who enjoys small-town living, while Valerie is a high-powered businesswoman who prefers city life. They’re complete opposites in every way. Yet David keeps insisting she and Colby are a perfect couple.

Meanwhile Stephanie has other worries besides her father’s health. She’d fled Orchard Valley three years earlier after her humiliating rejection by local journalist Charles Tomaselli. Now she’s home, and it’s not long before they begin reliving past battles–and renewing old feelings. He was the reason she left. This time, will he give her a reason to stay? David seems to think so.

Does their father know something Valerie and Stephanie don’t?

3 Drink Me Potions

It’s a fairly open secret that I have some strange soft spot for Debbie Macomber. Yes, her stories can be cheesy with their happy-ever-after endings, but sometimes, a girl just needs those kinds of endings, you know?

With Orchard Valley Grooms, I had such high hopes. Two sisters falling in love with their respective special someones? Sounds like it fits the criteria to a glove.

But. Yes, there is a but. These two stories captured me with their endless drama and irritated me to no end all at the same time.

In Valerie, the immediate attraction and way Colby and Valerie fell for each other made some sense in a way. Valerie was under a lot of stress what with her father suffering from a heart attack. Colby was there to give her the emotional support that she needed. However, by the end of it, they were happily in love and thinking of marriage in, what, three weeks? Does this happen in real life? How can one know if this person would survive every bump in the road that’s sure to come in hopefully a long marriage? Sure, it may be an adventure to find out, but still. It was a little unsettling to see that it happened all so quickly.

And then there’s the fact of their drama that initially prevented them from getting together after realizing each others’ feelings. Colby is traditional as crap! Don’t mind my language. A women can very well work and take care of a family. Yes, he’s tired at nights after his long (and presumably emotion-taxing) shifts, but a woman doesn’t just live to serve hand and foot for him when he gets home. As for Valerie, I understood her inhibitions but she wasn’t all for compromise initially either.

If that first story wasn’t exhausting enough, I immediately jumped into Stephanie. Silly me thought it would help relieve my inner frustrations. Oh boy, was I wrong.

I liked Steffie more than Valerie in a sense that I could understand unrequited love. She ran away from the face of rejection and I don’t blame her. Charles was awful when she admitted her feelings three years prior. Who could blame a girl for wanting to get away from such embarrassment?

However, the resolution to Charles’ actions just didn’t seem quite…right with me. It wasn’t that it couldn’t have been plausible. It could have been. I just didn’t understand why wait so long to tell Steffie he felt the same way. So much drama and heart ache could’ve easily been bypassed if he did. Why get so angry if he knew she still felt the same way towards him? I just dunno. This poor heart of mine couldn’t handle all this nonsensical heart ache.

Anyway, I gobbled these stories up as fast as I could and although I didn’t love them as I had hoped, they weren’t terrible. A guilty pleasure, if you will. But never have I wanted to throttle guys as much as I did with these men. I can fully understand the Bloomfield sisters’ feelings.

Overall Recommendation:
Two stories in one with each based on one Bloomfield sister. I couldn’t ask for more, can I? Turns out, the story didn’t hold as much for me as I had hoped. In both Valerie and Stephanie, the male protagonists acted in nonsensical manners that drove me (and the Bloomfield sisters) crazy. I suppose there had to be tension and drama to prevent an immediate happily-ever-after resolution, but it was exhausting. I wouldn’t necessarily throw these stories out. It was still the cheesy, happy ending kind of story that I needed on occasion. At least it fills up that requirement perfectly. I would say it’s perfect if that is the kinda book you’re looking for on a boring, lazy afternoon.

adult

Review: Friends and Then Some by Debbie Macomber

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

friends and then some -debbie macomberLily Morrissey knows exactly what she wants in a husband: a big bank account. Not that she’s greedy or shallow; she just needs the security for herself and her beloved grandmother. But husband-hunting is harder than she expected, especially with her best friend Jake in the way. In fact, Jake—who would be perfect for her if he weren’t so committed to everything money can’t buy—is becoming downright distracting, with those jade eyes and that disarming grin.
 
All Jake wants is the freedom to sail his boat, write his stories, and live life on his own terms. Then his best friend tells him she’s going groom shopping. But Jake can’t imagine life without Lily or bear the thought of her in another man’s arms. How can a rootless guy living a no-strings existence and a woman looking for someone she can count on both get what they need? By letting their hearts choose love.


2 Drink Me Potions

Honestly? The antics of both protagonists Jake and Lily got really tiresome by halfway through this rather short novel.

Lily was hard to like at first. From the very first pages, it was evident that she was a shallow gold digger. Even she had to dissuade herself from thinking that that was indeed what she was. She was working as a pianist in some fancy hotel in order to hook her claws into some rich man staying there who may appreciate her music. And she wasn’t one ounce bit ashamed of finding a husband solely for his money so that she and her grandmother could have all the luxuries in the world that she ever wanted.

Meanwhile, Jake is really a no-strings kind of guy. He drives a cab and lives off on his boat. He could literally up and move whenever he wanted. He was a nice enough guy, but he was adamant about not ever letting some woman change him into what she imagined him to be.

So when Lily and Jake “accidentally” kiss one day, it changes everything. Jake gets all the more grumpy due to his denial of any attraction that he may feel for Lily. And she finds a few men interested in her who may fit her exact criteria: rich.

It started off a little amusing, like a romantic comedy where the two main characters have obvious feelings for each other but their denial of such notions is a little funny for those watching objectively from the outside.

Oh boy, does it get tiring when practically the whole novel is centred on almost-happens and kisses-that-shouldn’t-have-happened-yet-did but-they-(I mean Jake)-ignore-them-anyway.

I sped through Friends and Then Some ’cause I like Debbie Macomber but enough’s enough. I was ecstatic when it finally ended with the conclusion that we all knew was gonna happen from the start. They admit their feelings for each other. Of course. No duh. But the process was rather painful to get through.

Overall Recommendation:
Friends and Then Some really shows the novice in Macomber’s writing. The storyline wasn’t meant to be unpredictable as the synopsis definitely shows these two best friends were bound for each other. However, what started off amusing with their denials and underlying attractions just became downright annoying when Jake continues to refuse the notion of being with Lily and Lily just acts like a selfish brat who wants a rich husband to feed her desires for worldly things. The ending just didn’t come fast enough, and I wished more of the story focused on the last few scenes ’cause that’s the only place I found pleasure in.

YA

Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2

p.s. i still love you -jenny hanLara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

2.5 Drink Me Potions

Can I just first say that I’ve been DYING for this book for a whole long year? Ever since I read its predecessor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which mind you is THE book that got me into writing reviews, I was absolutely ecstatic to hear that there was going to be a second book. Could my life have gotten any better? was the question that flowed through my mind at that point.

And that is where all my hopes and expectations fell.

It literally hurts to write this review which is less than the 5 stars I was expecting. Where shall I begin?

The plot
It was just SO slow. For a good first half of the book, nothing REALLY happened. Yes, Lara Jean was enjoying her newfound relationship with Peter (my heart was screaming YES! ’cause I absolutely adore him…but I’ll get to him later). Everything wasn’t hunky dory or anything. It wasn’t THAT bland. That beautiful hot tub scene from the end of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before? Do you remember that? Well. Let’s just say, it’s become a publicized meme around the school. I know, heartbreaking right?

So Lara Jean is fretting and embarrassed. Her sisters are equally helping her deal with it in their particular ways. But it truly was not worth half a book to focus on. Yes, Peter showed off his gallant side (*happy sigh*), but even that didn’t entertain me for long enough.

The writing style also seemed so disjointed. Some chapters were so short. It was literally one event, and then you jump to the next event which could be a day or whatever later. And then onto the next event in the next chapter. There wasn’t a whole lot of flow, like Jenny Han was sticking short constructed pieces together. It wasn’t the most enjoyable format, especially when things were already going quite slow substance-wise.

Then things just got downright UGLY in the next half. I shall start off with…

Lara Jean
I like that she’s still her unique self, being half Korean and all. Jenny Han is still amazing at integrating such cultural aspects into the story. But I was just SO annoyed with Lara Jean in this book. She was too jealous and mistrustful of Peter’s friendship with his ex. Mind you, I don’t particularly like her either. She’s truly a dog (and I mean that in a not-so-nice way). But to be wrought with jealousy to the point that she would mistrust Peter’s intentions wasn’t pleasant to see unfold.

John What’s-His-Name (he has a REALLY long name – which I don’t care about)
And then there was John. The other guy that the synopsis hinted at. I don’t understand why Jenny Han had to bring him back. Was there really nothing else to give this story substance?

Okay, maybe the answer is yes, considering the first half wasn’t all that great with substance either. But still. He felt so unnecessary. Please. A random love triangle thrown into the middle of the SECOND novel? It was already a little weird with the neighbour/good friend Josh in the last novel, but I actually liked him more because he was someone Lara Jean knew. John just kind of…popped up. She may have known him in the past, but I, as the reader, sure as heck don’t give a crap about him. He wasn’t MY past crush.

I admit I may be a teensy bit biased ’cause I love Peter, but still. My reasoning is sound. Lara Jean shouldn’t have tried to get herself to rekindle such feelings for John when in reality, I felt she was never quite over Peter.

The OTHER characters
That leaves me with the characters I did still enjoy, even with minor irritants.

Margot, Lara Jean’s older sister, seems to have forgiven her for the uh, minor problem with Josh (Margot’s ex and one of the crushes). However, things are NOT la-la land for Margot & Josh. I was a bit sad. I don’t know. I didn’t love them as a couple even in the previous book, but to me, if they weren’t with each other, it just felt weird seeing them with different people.

Kitty, the younger Song sister, was as wild as ever. I’ve always had such a strange liking for her. I wouldn’t exactly want such a manipulative yet still adorable younger sister in real life, but I can’t help but like her. I love that both sisters are so unique and made in a way that both complements Lara Jean as well as showcases what a sisterly relationship looks like. It’s not always perfect, and there may be HUGE differences between the girls, but they have each others’ backs at the end of the day. The Song girls united. I loved that.

Oh, and that brings me to Peter. Ah, Peter Kavinsky. First, I’d like to mention that I missed seeing Josh in this novel. He was rather big in the previous one, and he just wasn’t relevant I suppose in the sequel, considering Lara Jean got over him and what not. Still. I missed his presence as the good family friend he was. I suppose it was realistic. Not everything can go back to the way things were after relationships get complicated.

Okay, back to PETER. He made my day in the story. I was so tired of reading it. That breaks my heart to say. I SO, SO hoped it would have been a fun read. I even bought it on the very first day it came out. But seeing Peter’s actions and dialogue, I think this novel showcased his personality really well. We got to see the better side of him in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but as a boyfriend? That was something new. He may be a lot of imperfect things, but he tried his best for Lara Jean. I may have despised what she did to him, but I appreciated how the author handled their relationship in the end. It wasn’t as open ended as the previous book, but it gives a lot of hope and a wonderful message.

Relationships aren’t going to be easy, and people may even get really hurt. But at the end of the day, it’s worth jumping into. What’s one of my favourite sayings? It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. It’s pretty applicable here.

I wish I could say the good outweighed the bad, but I couldn’t handle this book. It may have been my HUGELY escalated expectations, but I think it just didn’t hold the kind of substance I look for in a novel. I’m quite saddened to say I’m rather disappointed.

Overall Recommendation:
I waited forever, or so it seems, for P.S. I Still Love You. I absolutely ADORED To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before that I thought Jenny Han could do no wrong when it came to a sequel that had my very favourite people in it. She has a way with making her characters come alive. From the Song sisters to Lara Jean herself, there is the cultural aspect of being half-Korean and holding onto that heritage, while still giving each girl a very distinct personality. I also hold Peter K to the highest regard when it comes to male protagonists. That being said, with such love comes high expectations, and occasionally, a great fall into disappointment. I’m sad to say that the plot was extremely slow and held far too little substance. The focal points were unnecessary and rather childish in my opinion. So with a saddened heart, I must say that I recommend enjoying the first book and maybe only reading this if you must see how Peter and Lara Jean’s relationship unfolds (and refolds ’cause it’s complicated and messy that way).