Extreme disappointment after reading this one.
928465
As an Edna Buchanan and Britt Montero fan I was filled with immense disappointment after reading this one. "Garden of Evil" required more suspension of disbelief than I am capable of. And, Britt's  photographer friend at "The News" has become one very annoying  character. James Lee Burke and Clive Cussler have proven that a continuing  character can get stale and become a parody of itself. It may be time for  Edna Buchanan to give Britt a rest and during the pause give us a new  protagonist. Then Britt can return refreshed, much like James Robicheaux  and Dirk Pitt have after interludes by their authors. Michale Connelly has  broken up his Harry Bosch series three times, and that certainly looks like  the right way to keep a character vibrant. Edna Buchanan has given us much  much better about Miami (and Britt) and is capable of so much more. This is  not up to the usual high Buchanan standard.
2176793
THANK GOD I got this as a Kindle deal because if I would have paid full price for it, I would have been extremely annoyed.

Not only did I HATE this book but the fact that Laura Lippman says it was inspired by true crime makes it even worse. Since she shares no details about the sole surviving victim in this particular matter, if the sole victim is anything like Eliza, the victim should be horrified by her portrayal. If the portrayal is even close to true, well, there aren't enough terrible things to say about her. If Eliza is to be believed as a victim, her actions in luring another girl to her ultimate demise are unconscionable.  So if this is true, well, like I said.  There aren't enough terrible things to say about her.

First, I found NONE of the characters particularly likable. Eliza/Elizabeth is a half wit. The anecdotes about her kids are pointless, as are her kids. They add NOTHING to the story. In fact, if you cut out all of the useless characters - her kids, the sister and the husband, well, you can cut out half the book and not feel like you've wasted precious minutes of your life reading this nonsense. While I am exceptionally grateful I have ZERO experience to draw from when it comes to being a victim, I found it impossible to identify with Eliza as a victim. From a mother's perspective, well, here's a woman who has gone to great lengths to shield her kids from the dangers of the world because of what happened to her yet she apparently has done a terrible job - her idiot daughter Iso (dumb nickname as well) lets the mother of one of the other victims in the house-this woman is a total stranger but is allowed entry because she recognized the name.  To top it all off, this idiot leaves her son, Albie, in the book store kids reading nook while she goes to see Iso's principal because she got suspended. Talk about pointless and really anti-everything you are supposed to believe about how much she wants to keep her kids safe. The ending, which was built up to this big reveal was flat - there was no big reveal and it made me like Eliza even less than I already did.  Unless you get this for free, just move along. Totally not worth your time.
4502546
This is the first review I've ever submitted, if I remember correctly, and I had to do it because I was so disappointed in this book.  I thought the first book was cute - if not overwhelming - and looked forward to this one.  What a letdown!

Don't look to this book for more of Genevieve's opinions on much of anything.  Most of the book is about Denny's life, with hardly a nod to the dog's point of view.  Denny's eating habits, how he became vegetarian, his running, his camping, his hiking, his supermarket shopping, what he likes/dislikes about restaurants, etc.  Even "a day in the life of" is actually a day in Denny's life.

Additionally, the language has deteriorated badly in this one.  A friend borrowed my copies of the books to preview before giving to her 10-year-old daughter, who loves dogs.  This book came right back with the comment that the language was totally unsuitable and unnecessary.  (An entire section is given to this very topic, Denny's extensive use of foul language.)  While it's not nearly as bad as many movies and TV programs seen today, it's certainly far beyond what would be expected in this type of book.

Bottom line:  Denny apparently ran out of things to say for/about Genevieve and thought we'd all enjoy hearing about his life instead.  Not one of his better ideas.
1804241
As some have said, what a disappointment. Although I didn't care for the convolution of the racial issues(overkill)in the first book I still liked it.  So much so I thought what the hell let me give this a try (regardless of the sensible voice inside my head). Boy, was I wrong. Victoria tried my nerves in the first book but what I've read in this one is downright idiotic. I guess I should say I only got up to 40% before I decided I'm done because I could see where this sorry plot was going and couldn't stomach it one more page. This book is entirely too pricey for the lack of the quality I had expected. Therefore as another reviewer stated don't waste your money!
952761
I feel dissapointed. Maybe I'm not the right public for this book, but it feels like a far cry from 'Ready Player One', the author's previous novel. Where to begin? Silly dialogues, predictable, one dimensional characters, this book has it all. At some point it looks like a quest to see how many geeky references to write on each paragraph. I have friends how master nerd trivia and I have never heard a conversation where every sentence has to link to a movie, game or whatnot. Don't waste your money, really, skip this one.
4735564
Sorry, but this was a very disappointing read. It wasn't entertaining, it wasn't humorous and it was very badly written.
I truly enjoyed the first books but with the change in cover art came an equally changed caliber of writing - now it's just silly and all the characters, from Betsy on down, are not only stupid, they are actually irritating and ultimately unlikeable.
Had this been the first book of the Betsy series that I picked up, it would also have been the last.
I think the author has exhausted her creativity where this series is concerned.
Sometimes, it's just time to call it a day and move on.
2846819
When you look at the cover for this book what do you think? For me I thought it was going to be a fun, light, sweet story. Oh how wrong I was! To have this be the first book I read of the new year is not good book luck. I am so disappointed with the story and as much as I hate to write reviews like this, I'll try and just stick to the facts. Here are my pros & cons:

Pros:
Ella; I really enjoyed her characters and my heart absolutely broke for this girl. Her life has been awful and even though she was pretty bitter throughout the whole book I didn't blame her one bit. I admired her bravery and strength. She was my type of girl (bookworm, funny) and I would have been proud to be her friend.

Vivian & Rob; These were two of my favorite characters of the book. They were the best of friends to Ella and I was beyond happy she had them in her corner.

A modern re-telling of a classic; I love when authors take classics and put their own spin to it. This version may not be my favorite but I applaud the author for taking a chance and writing it.

Sadly that's pretty much it for the pros but without them I wouldn't have been able to even finish the book. Now to the hard part...

Cons:
Ella's Dad; I HATED this man with every fiber of my being. What an awful human being and sorry but he had no redeeming qualities. His "apologies" were too little too late for me and his behavior towards his daughter was horrendous. He made this book so difficult to read and I was angry 90% of the time because of him. His excuses for abandoning her were lame and just showed you what type of man he was.

Anastasia; Now I don't know if I hated her as much as the Dad but she came pretty close. She was a spoiled brat who made Ella's life (which was hard enough) a living hell. Her behavior was disgusting and how everyone still babied her made me sick. And once she saw the light and tried to make amends?! It was pathetic to say the least. You can't write such an evil character and then let them get off the hook so easily. This left a bad taste in my month.

Tragedy after tragedy; This book for me was just depressing. Every chapter something bad happens to the heroine and she's upset majority of the time. Give the poor girl a break already!! I know kids can be mean and I know this is fiction but the cruelty in this seemed excessive and over the top. I found it hard to read so many times and I was in constant worry my iPad wouldn't survive. I'm all for character struggle to build them into a stronger person but this just seemed for shock value and after a while I couldn't take it anymore.

Ending; so after ALL the trials Ella goes through, all the heartache I expected this epic ending for her. I mean come on she deserves it and it just wasn't there. It was like she was given the consolation prize just to shut her up and make her go away. I wanted more and I think after what the reader has endured deserved that as well.

I don't like bashing books and I'm sorry if this review seems harsh but when you have a cover like the one it has and you think you're getting a lighthearted read and end up needing a drink after finishing, it feels like you've been duped. My suggestion would be to change it and let everyone know what they're getting into. I know the story of Cinderella isn't always the happiest but this one was down right sad.

You're probably wondering why I haven't brought up the prince Cinder. While he was a sweet guy he just didn't do anything for me and even though they had a great connection as friends, I didn't feel a love connection. Their story took too long to progress and when it finally did I was over it. I honestly wanted Ella with someone else (you know who). He seemed to really care for her and in my opinion a better match. So that's my final verdict on Cinder & Ella. If you loved this one (which I seem to be the minority) I am happy you did. Not every book will be loved by all and that's what is so great about reading. 2.5 Stars!
2707225
This was a very disappointing read. It wasn't entertaining, it wasn't humorous and it was very badly written.
I truly enjoyed the first books but with the change in cover art came an equally changed caliber of writing - now it's just silly and all the characters, from Betsy on down, are not only stupid, they are actually irritating and ultimately unlikeable.
Had this been the first book of the Betsy series that I picked up, it would also have been the last.
I think the author has exhausted her creativity where this series is concerned.
Sometimes, it's just time to call it a day and move on.
4174250
I was highly disappointed with the previous novel in this series, but after reading a few high reviews of this one I decided to pick it up from the library "just in case" there was some improvement on the second novel.  I found it even worse than the first.  I couldn't even finish this one I was so bored out of my mind.

I found the plot childishly easy to figure out.  After reading only half of the story I already knew what was going to happen and after scanning the novel, discovered I was right and the pages in-between were only filler with no action to speak of.  Needless to say I won't be reading any more from this author.
3554610
First. This was NOT written by JK Rowling and anyone who believes so is a genuine bloody idiot.

Second. I was unable to read further than the third chapter of the "book", it was so appallingly awful.

Third. I wanted this. I wanted this just as badly as every other Harry Potter fan. I pre-ordered it, reread all the books before it came it, rewatched all the movies, and spent months fantasizing and speculating what the Cursed Child would be about.

Third. This is biggest blindside and letdown I've ever gotten from a book before. You'd think that being the "8th book" the first chapter at the train station would be exactly that of the 19 years later epilogue in the Deathly Hallows, yes? No. Completely different. Apparently Teddy Lupin, Victoire Weasley, and Hugo Weasley no longer exist. Rose has a severe attitude problem, James is a ghost, Albus is put in Slytherin when he had been dying to be in Gryffindor??, and Hermione is a "Granger-Weasley"... sorry. Just in those first few chapters was enough to make me cry and return the book the very next day without finishing it.
761788
I read the first three books and enjoyed them; this is barely readable.

A few new characters are done well (Cara), most are horrible (Nadine).  And while I'm not opposed to love and romance (I've read my share of trashy romances) the never-ending sap-fest between Kahlan and Richard is tiresome.  If their love is so true and great, why all the jealousy and need for constant reassurance?  They carry on like a couple of whiny, insecure teenagers.

I understand the need to revisit some of the previous novels but there's way too much of it and it's accomplished badly; incessant questioning and detailed explanations and history lessons while in pursuit of a deadly enemy?  Seriously?  That's just one example.  Several plot devices were absurd and hard to buy into and I found myself thinking they (the characters) were often behaving stupidly.

I had been looking forward to reading this series, but if the following books are similar to this one, this will be my last.  Hugely disappointing.
203163
Bleh! I feel worse for having read this book. Plot spoiler alert: if a character has blonde hair (male or female) they are BAD. If they have dark hair they are good. It's as simple as that in Ms. Ragen's book. I kept reading as bad as it was to see if there was a moment of enlightenment at the end. There is not.
I have never read a book like this where there was not one character that was likeable. Even the nice ones (Mrs. holier than thou Rivkie) were not so nice after all.
If you want dysfunction write a book about a condo association in Boca and make it funny. This was just mean spirited and sad.
3406158
This book was a kindle freebie.  After being introduced to mystery/thriller series through Lee Childs and Denis Lehane, I was absolutely disappointed in this book.  Dialog was awful, the characters were forced, and the plot was ridiculous.  Not to give anything away, but really?  The way the unsub was related to some of the main characters was utterly laughable.  And this author has no business portraying a woman as a main character.  Yuk
3629448
From the first, this book was disappointing and I quit about 50 pages in.  I have read and loved every other book in this series, but this one is a loser.  It doesn't even read like it is written by the same person.  The prose is choppy and labored and the point of view leaps too randomly from spot to spot.  Worse, Anna doesn't behave logically from the first.  After commenting on how horrifying the urban trash people are and how the group she passes is filthy and reeks of evil, she suddenly runs after one of their dogs who is trying to escape from these creeps.  Her idea is to return the dog .... why would she do that, especially at the risk of her life?  Also, I can't deal with books that are about torturing kids, so quit while I was ahead when it became obvious this was going to be the storyline.  After reading these reviews (which I read AFTER I decided not to go on, I'm glad I didn't finish.  I almost never quit a book in the middle unless it is really awful, so ..... give this one a miss.
4723948
Having read one of her books I was intrigued by the title and the possibilities it offered.  However, like most of the other readers, I am extremely disappointed by the plot, characterization, and writing style.  The main character is despicable and self-absorbed.  The descriptions of his many travels struck me as pretentious -- for instance, did she have to enumerate the various cities he visited in Italy, such as Milan, Florence, Rome (in parentheses) in a context totally unrelated to the narrative?  In many instances I felt as though this was a name-dropping competition, whether it be his observations of the hotel guests at the resort, or the watches and pens of his father and of all the people he was watching.
This book was a waste of my time and after fifty pages I decided to speed read to get it over with.  A good read keeps your mind ad heart engaged!
2205761
I honestly thought there was going to be some of the story devoted to what happened to the main character during her 11 years of "captivity".  The little "teasers" of information were only a huge disappointment in the end. I would still like to know WHAT HAPPENED TO HER????  I was exhausted by the multiple explanations about how "she had to tell it in her own way in order to heal".....yikes--enough times is enough, I am not so stupid that a concept has to be repeated time and again and again!  And I was totally turned off by the romantic plot between a young woman and a man old enough to be her father.  Really--he has a daughter in college and he would gladly get married in 5 years and have more children???  Really not a romantic notion for me.  Sorry, I had hoped to enjoy this book more than I did.
1762205
Let me start by saying that I'm actually quite a fan of Philippa Gregory, and was quite excited when I found this out-of-print book in my local library.  And by the end, how happy I was that I'd not spent a penny on it.  This is, quite possibly, one of the worst books I've ever read. The protagonist is a selfish, vain, hateful girl who -- I would assume -- the reader is supposed to sympathize with.  Everything she does -- every horrible, malicious thing -- is purely for her own pleasure, and to advance her own status. Never once does she think of anybody else as anything other than a stepping stone, and abuses everybody she comes in contact with and then cries out to the universe for pity on her.
I seriously only read this book to the end in the hope that when I got there, I'd get to see the protagonist die a horrible death.