disappointment.. i wanted to like this after reading ...
920290
disappointment..i wanted to like this after reading the positive reviews (and ignoring the more negative ones) but should have listened to my gut...first of all-don't buy this if just making coffee for 1 or 2 people...will not keep it hot-prob. for any  amt you need to preheat jug and esp for smaller amts of coffee- the heat is sucked from coffee to container.  the machine was defective re the button to push to get a slower brew.  i found that the only way to get a decent tasting cup of coffee  - slow brew.  and annoying to have to screw on sep. top to pour a cup after brewing...can't just pull off filter and pour...so big negatives - coffee not hot enough and w/o slow brew didn't taste great.  make the right choice!
4540427
I was excited to read this. From the description and the glowing five star reviews, I truly thought this book would be amazing. Unfortunately, it was not. I expected a book about a hilarious college romance (because let's be honest, the majority of my college romances make for hilarious stories now). It did not really live up to my expectation. I had hoped it would be like&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Losing-It/dp/0062273248/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Losing It</a>, which I cried over because I was laughing so hard. Only it wasn't. Why?

1. Julie. Where as Bliss felt like a real flesh and blood person in Losing It, Julie is a flat, cardboard cutout. How ironic. I didn't see anything dynamic in Julie's character and she came off as a stereotypical liberal ed college kid. I just didn't care for her at all.

2. Within the first twenty pages, I knew the ending. There wasn't any shadow of a doubt the reason behind Flat Finn or the dysfunction in the family. I really wanted to not know, to not be so sure. But I was and the book ended up being formulaic. The only character that really even seemed to change was Celeste.

3. The use of Facebook. At first the status thing was neat. Then I just started skipping them because they added nothing to the story except for word count. Then there was all the emailing and Facebook chatting which seemed to take up half the book. I get that she's trying to fall in love with someone who isn't there, but it all seemed really artificial. I've flirted over Facebook before. Sometimes my heart is racing while I wait for a response, or I'm dying of laughter because he said something funny. Where was that? It wasn't written in anywhere. maybe if that had been included I would have been able to feel more of a connection with Julie.

4. The writing. In this day and age, whether you are self-published or published by a big publishing house that does not mean that your writing is amazing or that you are a literary master. You are simply published. I see people too often getting attacked when they say the writing was not good. Someone says to them, "Well you aren't even published." No. The readers aren't published (maybe they don't want to write books?), but that doesn't mean they know less about sentence structure, grammar, plotting, characterization, etc. We are educated. At some point in our lives we learned this too. So we can comment on the writing. In this case, it was so-so. I felt like the author had to keep telling us that her character was named Julie. Many of the sentences began with Julie. There also wasn't much variation in the structure. Finally, the phrase "show, not tell" comes to mind. This book did a lot of telling and only a little showing.

Overall, it was cute. The behavior of the characters all seemed a bit below their age level. I would be perfectly okay letting a 12 year old read this. For someone in their twenties it feels a little bit immature.
4213777
I had really high hopes for this book. I honestly could not put it down but at the same time I felt really let down by the end of the book. I finished it earlier today and I'm typing this still thinking, What happened? Why did it end this way?

Anyway, let me start with the protagonist. She is anti-hero. She is driven but selfish, and has a very grandiose opinion of her part in the hierarchy of life. When faced with the realization that she is not The Chosen One, she goes into self-hate and this was painful for me to read. I wanted her to pull out of it, because she did have a destiny --- just not the one she envisioned. However, she couldn't get past it and it dogged her all the way to the end.

The world building is great. I felt like I was in the forest, smelling the muck and the monsoon. And I was fascinated by the strata of "people": the Canopy where the thirteen gods dwelled and protected the Canopians; the Understoryans who wanted to overthrow these gods; the Floor whose people we never meet, probably because it's hard to exist where the sun did not penetrate and monsters live. This is the shining glory of this book.

The plot and storyline kept me in suspense until the heroine's character "growth" started to make my eyes roll. I really just wanted her to snap out of it.

Other characters did have development, like her friend and fellow Gardener Oos. Aoun, not so much. She came to the Garden with him as children, and he became her sexual fascination in a one sided lust/love. I am still confused about the ending in terms of her relationship with him.

Also, the ending felt like a video montage of seventeen years that passed after the climax. I don't want to give it away. I just think it was an interesting device, and I don't think all loose threads were tied. For example, the reason for the Understoryans wanting to overthrow the new gods were never fully explained. What is wrong with the old gods? This is the backbone of their society and its never explained.

Do I recommend it? Gosh that's hard to answer. I really like the world building, and Dyer can certainly write a great narrative. She's not afraid to write about sex. It's just so hard to relate to the protagonist, and again the loose threads. If you pick it up, do let me know what you think.
3391967
I really wanted to love this but didnt. I don't read books to be sad, I read books to be lifted up, to have hope, to live in a life where I can imagine its me rising above etc. This book just didn't hit anything good for me. Spoilers ahead......

If you're going to kill off a husband, do it in the beginning, don't get us invested in the character and then kill him off. That doesnt make it a good read for me. The next phase was rushed, there was little about the journey to recovery itself. It just glossed over it a bit then focused on the next sad bit. Then we deal with a stage II cancer thats treated like its an automatic death sentence. Then thats done with, fast forward a few years and the cancer is back and wham husband #2 is now dead at the end of the book. Why? Where is the HEA? Whats the uplifting message?

Honestly I wish there was a warning about the non HEA and the whole cancer thing. As a stage II cancer survivor it certainly doesnt feel good to even read fiction about a doom and gloom ending for a character in a romance novel.
79433
After finishing up the second book, I found myself waiting anxiously for this one. I was so disappointed. I didn't want to reread the last one so I found myself so lost at the beggining. After connecting the dots I settled in and tried to let this one grab my interest. I gave it a fair shot, really. I don't know if it was the amount of time between the last book and this one or if I just completly lost interest in the story. The story of these characters just wasn't as good as I wanted to remember it being. I skimmed through the whole book after 45%. Even then, I just wanted to be done with it. What a waste of time and money.
178514
I really wanted to like this book.  I tried to find something in it that I could say was truly compelling or that I enjoyed.  Unfortunately, for me, that wasn't the case.  I am a huge fan of this genre and was hoping I could discover a new author that I could enjoy.  Sadly Mr. Blake did not impress me.

The book is written like a teenage boy's video game fantasy in my opinion.  The hero is "an IT guy" who is also a outdoorsman (a combination that is unusual in the deserts of AZ to say the least).  I don't usually comment on the characterizations of women in novels but this book definitely placed women in a second class (possibly third class) category - sufficient to cook, clean and watch the kids (even though his wife saves his life with a few well placed shots toward the beginning of the book).  The hero is on an ego trip to become the leader of his own world and goes from an out of shape IT desk jockey to a warrior of excellence in warp speed.

The virus that turns humans into zombies also travels at warp speed and within two weeks the president has gone nuclear.  It appears that little research was done, next to no experience in warfare was present, and other than an obsession about weapons the hero really doesn't have any qualifications to be the new world leader he pictures.

I gave the book two stars instead of one because the basic plot was creative.  I did read the whole book and never did find anything that would cause me to look for a sequel.  I'm not writing this to be mean, but someone should be honest.  Mr. Blake needs to work on his characterizations, action development and research.  In my opinion.
1840527
The synopsis made me so excited about reading this book... Only to get nothing what I expected and a big let down.
First off, I don't know if it was just my kindle White or what ... but i got cross eyed trying to read the "letters written between Sloth and R." So so very small. So small that I had my kindle at my face trying to read. I almost stopped right then.
Second, not that im against erotic but wasn't expecting it in this story... I prefer Romance over Erotic. It wasn't over the top.. I just wasn't expecting sex to be used to get what they want.
Third, So much was going on throughout the book. I don't know what went where.. As my eyes are still trying to refocus from the letters written.
The secrets were there but I don't know ... by the time I found out about them, I was over it.

By the end of the Epilogue and I sit here wonder... ONce the big secret of Kellan was out, Did anything ever come back up about the drugs? I know things started to slow down but I guess the whole drug thing was over by the end of Epilogue b/c it was never mentioned here. "Wow, and the story was basiclly revolved around this."

Fourth, Why did I give it two stars and not 1.. b/c i finished it.

Maybe its just me.. but I don't know where all the 5 stars came from
Don't waste your time.
1109825
I am disappointed. I wanted to like this book more but found too many outlandish aspects of the story. And it wasn't the man hunting man part that I found unbelievable, just the way the male protagonist handled himself in the story.&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Most-Dangerous-Game/dp/1478256982/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Most Dangerous Game</a>, the short story with similarities written by Richard Connell, which I am sure this book is based on in part, is one of my favorite stories.

The dialogue didn't flow smoothly and seemed sophomoric in spots. The characters weren't fleshed out but were rather one-dimensional. And the story jumped all over, never settling in and telling a good tale. Oh, and I disliked the ending.

I did like the character of Mary and plan on reading her backstory in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sledge/dp/B00A4N79C0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sledge</a>, a short story about a serial killer who gave her the injuries that disabled her.

I did like the front cover art.

And there were sparks in the book that I did like, mostly concerning Mary, the female protagonist. So I have bought and am going to chance reading Lindsey's other book -&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sara-s-Game/dp/1479369446/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sara's Game</a>.

NOTE: I was sent this book to read and do an honest review on, which I feel I have done.
1663325
I really wanted to like this book. It was a struggle to get to the end. The world building needs so much work and although the novel's central ideas were promising, the mashup of tropes, the borrowing of other better plots, and the flat characterizations just killed it for me. It's the pacing that really worked against this novel. If the author had slowed down, built her world better, really made you question Cal and Maven's motive, I would have happily forgiven the poor plot. I was keeping a mental tally of the "twists" and not one, not even one, was surprising. I want to be surprised! I want to have to go back and reread passages to make sure I'm still on the right track, or better yet to reread passages because they moved me and captured my imagination.  Sometimes you just want a "fun read" but I felt a little betrayed by this one. The hype all over the internet, in magazines, etc etc. I bought into it and I wish I hadn't. It's really getting to the point that I feel a lot of trepidation on picking up any book that is being hyped which is a terrible shame because I've loved this genre for years and to see it so watered down is heartbreaking for me.

So in short- read this book if you like the genre, if you are into medieval-ish fantasy mashups but know that you've probably already read this story before in one form or another.
3777931
I'm so disappointed...I wanted so much to like this book...I even paid for 2-day delivery so I could receive it in time for a 2 week personal retreat -- hoping to enjoy it during the retreat.  As a christian I was looking for a yoga related devotional and this "sounded" perfect...in the end it is hard to follow, poorly organized and developed.
In addition, this book is poorly pulished/edited...looks like it was locally printed/published.  The author wastes the initial devotionals explaining how the the program/book is laid out...instead of having a preface or introduction to lay the plan out, so it is not really 21 days of devotionals.
The CD is difficult to follow...
I wish so much I could provide a good positive review of this...but, I can't honestly do that...perhaps if a good editor took the book, formated an introduction and organized the layout so it is easier to follow, then you might be able to develop a devotional book from the information provided (would require a bit more in order to make it a legitimate 21-day devotional) -- that's the reason I gave it a 2 vs. a 1 star, if you can drudge your way through the dis-organization there are some good points in the information -- but, when you have to drudge through dis-organization you lose any hope of a true devotional/inspirational book.
440911
I wanted to enjoy this book.  The story was good and it started out okay, but slid downhill after the first few chapters.

!! SPOILER ALERT !!
Here are a few things I didn't care for:

Kegan.  As a whole, he was an okay character.  But just okay.  He was supposed to be a little controlling and neurotic, but it came off like he was a selfish ass.  I didn't like him as much as Mary did.  And honestly I started to lose interest after ALL of their petty arguments.  Also, he was made to seem stupid in the sub-plot of the Crystal/Isaac issue with the cell phone.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who figured that out the moment it was discussed.  And Crystal in general really.  It took me like a paragraph to figure out that she was out for Mary's/Isaac's job.  I hate when characters are made "oblivious" for a sub-plot that didn't really have much to do with the storyline.

All the other sub-plots that didn't go anywhere... Brian, the nosy neighbor.  Tanisha, Mildred's gay daughter.  The whole blood clot thing.  None of them really went into enough depth to have them be interesting.

Mary has no friends.  Why was that?  I realize she moved from a town 3 hours away, but she didn't even have a friend she could call?  She seemed to adopt Kegan's friends who seemed really plastic and unrealistic.  The overbearing mother was really disconnected also.  She could have been anyone or perhaps a robot.

Parts of the story seemed really rushed.  In a few places an entire weekend went by in a short sentence, yet other parts were drawn out to the point of being overkill.

All in all the book was fine.  I wouldn't recommend it to a friend.

Perhaps I'm delving too deep into a $0.99 contemporary romance -- I don't know.
2203141
*Sigh* I really wanted to like this book. The description was cute and promising and gave me hope that I found another YA gem. However, I was wrong.  The main character is so shallow and some of the things she said and/or thought were so annoying. Yes, I realize this was written from a 14 year olds perspective and I tried to keep that in mind but I just ended up getting angry and annoyed with her. I know a lot of 14 year olds and not one of them is this shallow. The one bright spot in this was Travis.  I actually enjoyed his character but could not understand why he fell for Mac.  I wanted to stop reading around the middle of the book but forced myself to continue to the end is false hope that it might get better. It didn't.

All in all, this book was not worth the money. Don't waste your time. Like I said, the only part I liked of this book was Travis and maybe her cat Clementine.
4696427
I wanted to like this book. I really did especially when I saw I the great reviews it got but I did not like it. I did not find the hero/heroine likable. The H was over the top w/ her reactions to some things and things that should have got a genuine heartfelt reaction, was watered down.  I was really waiting for the book to reveal she maybe be "manic because of her over the top emotions to certain situations". The hero started off ok but that opinion did not last long. *Spoiler alert *The fact the hero even considered for a split 2nd leaving current GF for ex-wife all bc of their shared past pissed me off. Then you have the heroine absentee father appear back into her life and her moms life like it was nothing because he's throwing money around was wtf. Everyone reactions to certain things held no weight imo and was simple (dumb). This was the first book I read by this author and I have to really think hard about reading her other stories.
1986541
I was so excited to read Something like Normal by Trish Doller. It has been on my To Read list since the summer and finally decided to read it. I had high hopes for this book and when finished I felt disappointed. I think the idea of the book had amazing potential.

Nineteen year-old Marine, Travis coming home from war in Afghanistan to a brother who stole his girlfriend, a father who is a major prick, and a mother who is a little lost herself. Plus Travis is dealing with the death of his best friend who he blames himself for his death while at war. Travis meets Harper, the complete opposite of his ex girlfriend. Harper is sweet, innocent, and is there for Travis when he needs someone the most. Sounds like it could be an amazing book right? I thought so too... a marine coming home could be a wonderful story women could relate to whether they are coming home or their boyfriends/husbands coming home from war. A lost boy finding solace with a sweet girl helping him grieve with what he has been through. But the story felt short of its potential and lost its opportunity to be an amazing book.

Something Like Normal is an extremely fast read all in the POV of Travis. I read it within 3 hours and I think that is where the problem lies. With such a quick read you miss out on great scenes and an emotional pull to the characters and story. I really wanted to get to know Harper more and Travis the main characters more. I didn't feel connected to them at all or their romantic story at all. I couldn't stand Travis' brother or father, even his ex girlfriend I couldn't stand. I wish the ending had more closure and didn't wrap up so quickly- I hate when books do that!  There isn't an epilogue but the last chapter "sort-of" describes what the characters are up to now but it was only 3 pages long and doesn't go into depth about it. I would probably read a second book in the series if there is one just so I could have more of an ending to Something Like Normal.

I think Something Like Normal could have been an amazing book if it was more of an adult read and about 100 pages longer. I did not feel invested in the story or characters and I feel really bad about that because like I said, it had amazing potential.

I give Something Like Normal 2.5 Stars.
3941941
My Thoughts:

 I had high hopes going in to this book. I find the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to be very interesting and this book held the promise of a loose retelling with a romantic twist. Sounds great right?

 Well. I was disappointed.
 I loved the initial idea and the story started off well enough. I initially liked the characters, but something happened and everything seemed to go to pieces. The serious case of insta-love in this book was a big put off. It just did not work. Within that, the story got lost. I felt like it was choppy and that there were actually 2 separate stories going on. The beginning with Tristen and then towards the end with Jill. The story didn't flow very well.  And soon after starting, the characters, especially Tristen, got on my nerves. It had to do with their interactions with each other as well as with others. I just couldn't connect.

 The POV is from the 2 main characters; Tristen Hyde and Jill Jekel. It's a little weird. It doesn't go by chapter, but it's also not alternating within the chapters either. The author could have several passages in a row labeled Jill. I didn't get it.  The meat idea of the story was initially very interesting to me but it was taken down the wrong road and ultimately, just did not come together for me.

Favorite Quotes: None

Bottom Line:  This story was more Hyde than Jekel. And not in a good way.  3/5
  (Very difficult to decide between a 2.5 or 3 star rating.)

 On a separate note, I did read a review written by someone who did not like this book but did like the authors other book (Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side).  She stated that the writing of this one was definitely sub par to her other series. I already own Jessica's Guide, so I will give this author another try.
2283379
I wanted to like this book from the new author, Mendocino.  I really tried.  As an out gay man who was in a heterosexual marriage for 8 years, really hoped to identify with something in this book.  I did not.

I have an odd quirk about movies and books; even if I don't like the material, I will finish it...albeit, sometimes kicking and scratching. This was one of those books, and frankly, the worst and most painful I have read in many years.  I feel as though I wasted my money.

I finished this book.  I kept hoping for some positive, redemptive changes to the story's main character, family, friends and surroundings.  Sadly, even the last chapter, which had some interesting changes, did not pacify the hole I felt from reading this story.  I felt as though the last chapter was rushed, as if the author tried to fast-forward to a better time in the main character's life...but still, there were unanswered questions and I was left feeling betrayed.  This isn't what I paid for, or devoted my time reading about, is it?!?

My partner and I share books, and will breeze through 3 or 4 a month.  I actually threw this one out.  It was depressing, and not in a "I totally identified with the character" kind-of-way.  I felt depression, self-hatred, anger, self-abuse and a huge spiral into the depths of inner turmoil without a glimmer of hope or light.  There was no laughter.  I didn't shed a tear.  I didn't feel any anger, just the hope that something - somewhere will give and the story / reading will turn around for the better.  Actually, I guess I did feel betrayed.  The picture on the cover gave me hope of something good, but I don't recall reading it.

I honestly wish this could have been a better review.
3892513
I am a major fan of Divergent and Insurgent, but Allegiant was a major disappointment. Even though the first two books had minor problems, I fell in love with Tris. She was a strong female lead that wasn't afraid to do what needed to be done. I preordered Allegiant and was counting down the days until it was finally released, and I was promptly disillusioned with the product.
For those that still have not read the book this is what I have to say:

And this is not an angry rant right after reading the book. I read the book, was deeply disappointed (even a little angry), but I gave myself time and space to think and reflect. Sad to say, that almost a month later I am still disappointed and just a smidge angry.

 I will literally finish books in hours if I truly love the story. I read the first two books in a matter of days, and I thought this book would be that same. The story was so slow in some areas I literally had to force myself to keep reading, and I was severely tempted to just skip some pages altogether.

 Going back and forth between Tris point of view and Fours was confusing and unnecessary in some instances.

 The big mystery behind the city wasn't as amazing as we were lead to believe. There are some half brained ideas that are never really fully explained, and the ones that are just leave you feeling cheated and annoyed.

 The characters are not the same as in the first two books. I was left with a feeling of Who the heck are these people, and where are the characters from the first two books? I want them back please.

 This story, unlike the other two, is so forgettable its ridiculous. I can recall things from Divergent and Insurgent, but ask me a question about Allegiant and aside from the major issue at the end, I don't remember much. Its sad because this book had a lot of potential and it quickly plummeted.

***Spoiler Alert for those that haven't read the book. ***

 Even though I don't like the fact that Tris died in the end, I kind of, in a roundabout way, understand why she died. I don't feel good or happy about it, but I kind of get it. She was big on the self-sacrifice thing.. ok..got it. moving on because it still kind of upsets me and whatever. What I don't get is why she had to sacrifice herself for Caleb if he wasn't going to change in the wake of her sacrifice. If Tris sacrificing herself was going to have an impact, then HAVE AN IMPACT!!!!! Hes still the same person from before, so I do not see the point of her sacrifice at all.

 The fact that the conflict within the city was so easily solved is unconvincing. Youre telling me all it took to get these people to back down from going to war with each other was a little mother-son heart to heart. Seriously!? These people have hated each other for years! One hadnt seen her son in years and the other one wasn't that touchy feely to begin with, but Im supposed to believe that they both just walked away from this. OK buddy, sure, whatever you say.  Im sorry, but if Four can get his happily ever after with his mother, why couldn't we get our happily ever after with Tris? (Ok, so apparently Im more than just a little upset about that).

 The whole genetic makeup explanation sounds like something a ten year old explained. I was left feeling more than just a little lost and dumbfounded by what I read, and it did not live up to the hype that we were lead to believe in Insurgent.

Overall it was a major disappointment, and I will definitely not be re-reading Allegiant ever again. Im still not sure about the movies. Im hoping that the studio will see reason and realize that a lot of fans are not happy with this book, and they will decide to change some things. Its happened before like in My Sisters Keeper, so I am hoping that it will happen again.