I did enjoy the premise and the characters
591906
The book started off slow for me, but it did seem to pick up about mid way through the book.  I did want to find out where the story went, and the answer to the mystery of Gina, so I had to keep reading.  I did enjoy the premise and the characters.
3355775
This was an interesting concept, and the characters are definitely funny. The overall arc with powers etc felt like it had some holes in it. I got the book for free from Amazon though and I definitely enjoyed it.
4784396
3.5 stars for this fun take on Pride and Prejudice. It was an enjoyable premise, but I do wish the book had been a bit longer overall. I wasn't quite sure what to think of Mr. Darcy, but he eventually grew on me. I did like him and Lizzie together, but it just felt too insta and I wish there was just a little more development with their relationship. I liked the subplot with Jane and Charles as well, and I am always a sucker for multiple HEAs. They were a very cute couple, and I would have loved just a touch more of them together. I found Lydia to be an incredibly unlikable character. Georgiana was a fun addition to the group, and I liked that extra element that she added.

Overall, this story has a lot of potential, but I would have liked it a little longer to develop these relationships just a touch more.
278156
Well written, good premise. It had likeable characters, but I didn't love them.  It left some mysteries unsolved.  Unfortunately it did not imply that they would resolve more mysteries in following stories.
3209062
I liked the premise, Taming of the Shrew + historical romance. Poor Bianca is stuck at home in the country with her father and little brother while her big sister Kate, the villain in Bianca's story, is keeping her from the joys and excitement of a season, from marrying, having a family until Kate is wed.

Unbeknownst to her Lucian Dorlingsley has fallen in love with her and is determined to marry her, so determined that in order to get close to her that he'll give up the trappings of the ton and pretend to be a tutor. I liked Lucian, he's a good-hearted man and a very determined man.

I enjoyed seeing how Bianca changed through the story, how she started to take control of her life, the little bit of control a woman could in those times, to stop caring about what people think of her and grabbing on to the happiness she has found.

I did find the ending a bit jarring and think to really enjoy the story, to better understand the strife between the sisters, you definitely need to read the next book, Wed at Leisure, Kate's story.

Disclosure: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review
1616051
I was drawn to this book by the wonderful premise. I have never taken a rail route on a regular basis, rather a train journey has been an 'outing' for me but looking out from a train window, often down into gardens, seeing someone hanging out the washing or children playing ball there is a sense of attraction, as if it would be interesting to know a little more about the lives we fleetingly see.
In The Girl on the Train we soon learn that Rachel does take a regular train route and that actually she has more than a passing connection to the people she observes at a place where the train slows. Down there, in a world she is not now part of is the house she used to live in and where her ex husband now resides with his new wife and child. There is also a neighbour, Megan, who Rachel does not know but whose life she imagines as perfect with her perfect husband; she even invents names for them.
All of the above intrigued me. Megan has gone missing and from her birds-eye view at the train window Rachel believes she has the answer to the disappearance.
What follows is a 3 way POV story. Rachel is the observer, the drinker, the imaginer of things she could not possibly know. Megan is the not-so-perfect wife with psychological problems of her own. Anna is the concerned new wife, the mother, tired of Rachel's continued involvement in the life of her husband Tom and, in turn, it's effect on their little family.
How their lives had become entwined was well put together. I really wanted to know how this had happened and what the future held for them all. But as the story progressed there were clumsy moments and some interactions that I just couldn't believe. The ending was disappointingly unbelievable.
This was a book that I enjoyed in the reading but was ultimately dissatisfied with but I would certainly try this author again.
985038
While this was a fun read with some interesting characters and funny moments there was nothing in the story that stood our for me as original. I really liked the initial premise but by the end of the story the tale began to drag a bit for me as Lily and Devon's misunderstandings I felt were dragged out for too long.  They are both strong willed characters but not so stubborn that I could believe all their actions.  I also found some promise in the secondary characters but again all their actions didn't feel fully developed or three dimensional. I will give Valerie Bowman another try though as I believe this was her first book and see if she can build on the potential.
4506534
I got an eGalley of this book to read through NetGalley(dot)com.  This was an okay book.  I thought the premise was really interesting but that the characters were lacking and the story was a bit haltingly told at times.

Miranda is a unpopular teen from a cursed family; her family has lived and been cursed for centuries on Roanoke Island.  Phillips is another misfit teen who moved away from the island because he could hear the voices of the dead.  Now suddenly, just like all those centuries ago, 144 people have mysteriously disappeared form Roanoke Island.  It is up to Miranda and Phillips, which their strange abilities, to figure what is going on.

This is an interesting and creative premise.  I have always been fascinating by the story of Roanoke Island and it was fun to read a modern accounting about what might have happened.  Alchemy is involved and I found it interesting that the practice of alchemy was extended to include the search for immortality in this book.

That's about all I really enjoyed about this story.  Miranda and Phillips have interesting backgrounds, but neither of them is very inspiring.  Miranda is fairly timid and I felt like Phillips personality was all over the place and not at all consistent throughout the story.  The chemistry between them felt forced, with Miranda thinking weird thoughts about how attractive Phillip was at awkward places in the story.

The plot itself was also a bit awkward.  It started out really interesting but the pacing became inconsistant and pieces of the mystery were forced into place, making the story a bit contrived.  At times dialogue between the characters sounded unnatural and awkward as well.  There were parts of the story that read beautifully and parts that I had to read over a few times because they just didn't quite make sense.

Overall this is an okay read.  I loved the premise but didn't enjoy the characters all that much; I also thought the pacing and dialogue were a bit awkward at times breaking up the flow of the story.  I would only recommend reading this if you have a huge interest in the Roanoke Island mystery since the theory presented behind these disappearances is intriguing.
1948029
It was a good story, though I thought it was a little drawn out at moments. It would probably be a more attractive to a younger audience, perhaps middle school to early high school. I liked the premise. Jen Maddox was a likable character on her semester long study cruise. It doesn't take long for her to meet a group of students who are much more than they seem. Once she sees something that she wasn't meant to see, she discovers that she, herself, is more than she realized. In an effort to find out what is really going on with this group of students, she is met with magical creatures that shouldn't exist, creatures that are bent on destroying this group of individuals along with her.

I read this book as part of a reading group and liked the premise. There were details of the countries and places Jen visited that I found interesting. However, instead of including so many insignificant details about each location, it would have been nice if she had concentrated on some of the details the reader may have been more interested in. Also, I found Jen to act more weak and immature than she actually needed to be. I think her character could have been more developed than it was. I thought the author lost focus on some of the characters and skipped through some of the interactions that needed more concentration. At moments, I was left confused and wanted her to delved into the characters' feelings and motivations more. But it was decent story. I'd be interested in the lives of some of the background characters and the relationship between her and Thomas.
3740503
I read this book in an afternoon. It was an entertaining, quick-read and (even as a Millennial) I enjoyed the premise. But, overall, I thought the characters were weak and too one-dimensional. Eve is always the bad girl and the book tries to make up for her being one-dimensional by hinting that she's a sociopath, but that undercuts her interest as a villain. There is nothing really special about her--she's just banal. On the other hand, Imogen is always good, everyone loves her and wants to help her and she never really has to get her hands dirty. There was never a moment where I really felt that Imogen might lose it all and so the book lacked any real tension. If this had been a longer book or a more dense book, then these things might have annoyed me enough to give up the book entirely, but because this is such a quick read I think these problems are understandable. Sum, it's a fun book, great for if you need something while traveling or to spend an afternoon in your comfy chair.
3745954
I felt this story had a great premise and enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book.  However, I felt the HEA came a little too early in the book and the last few chapters were a little boring.  I loved that the characters were older than the typical early 20s that a lot of books are written about.  I thought the characters were interesting and Tess was believable.  Would have liked to have had a little more in sight with Tom.  Parts of the story was a little choppy and I was left having to reread some paragraphs to follow what was being described.  Overall I thought I enjoyed it and the first half had me up until late night/early morning because I couldn't find a good stopping point!
276984
I found this book quite disconcerting, and at times I struggled to understand what the author was talking about.  The premise of the story is good and I think the major characters have great potential, but as another reviewer noted the story was a bit of a mess.

That said even though I had to push my way through the book I did enjoy reading this and I will be interested to see if the second book in this series improves on the series by explaining more of the random inserts of dialogue that mean nothing or position what is actually happening and not assume we can infer everything.

I am cautiously optimistic, but will read book two with some sense of foreboding...
1447922
I would have given it 2.5 stars, were it available. The Elizabethan period has always fascinated and I read both biographies and historical romance about the people. The book was fast-paced and interesting. Sometimes language was used that reflects modern words. Still I enjoyed the premise and the book- although, perhaps, the relationship between Robin Dudley and Elizabeth is a bit overdone.
2434698
I really liked the premise of "Vampire High", so I probably went in with my expectations a bit too high.

It's not a bad book by any means - absolutely not. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It had its fun moments as well as a number of more poignant scenes. Cody is a likeable young protagonist, not perfect but as perfect as a 15-year-old boy can be; he stands up for his friends, he doesn't want to get good grades he hasn't earned, he's helpful and as un-prejudiced as people come. The supporting cast, while somewhat lacking in characterisation, were interesting enough as well. The writing was engaging.

So why the three stars? I've tried to figure it out but I can't quite put my finger on what bothered me. I think the plot ultimately just fell a bit flat for me. There were hurdles to overcome for the heroes, but they were all overcome a little too easily. The resolution felt too simple, too neat. Yes, I know, there were mentions that not everyone was happy with the new way of things, but... I suppose that ultimately I just wasn't convinced by how Cody's few simple acts changed the whole status quo between the jenti and the townsfolk.
2356336
I was immediately pulled into this book, given to me as a gift, by the interesting premise.  But that interest only carried me so far.  While the plausibility of her trip never bothered me, as I read along certain other things did.

For one, I never felt emotionally connected to the character.  It was as though we just had to watch her do all these things without seeing enough of her thoughts.  That distance really aggravated me the further I read, though there were maybe one or two scenes where I did feel more connected to her.

The other problem was that I felt like some things were either explained too much or too little.  The narrator would remind me three times who a certain person was that I already knew, but then the action would make huge jumps with no explanation about what happened in between.

I still think it's a great premise and the plot develops in fabulous ways, but sadly these two issues prevented me from enjoying the book.
736273
This series has a unique premise...takes the meaning of zombie/resurrection to a new level.  Movement throughout the story seems a little slow  with many unknown and untold actions affecting the story that are happening in the shadows or have happened in the past.  I enjoy some mystery, but I like to have explanations at intervals short enough to keep the reader interested.  I will read the second book to see how this unique premise is worked out in the plot of this series.  I wasn't as invested in these characters as I would have been with more information about their deepest feelings and thoughts.
3227026
I enjoyed this book as a whole. I felt the characters didn't always fit their roles too well. The protagonist and his romantic interest switched between professional cops and kids passing notes in the middle of meetings. It was a little jarring. The whole premise of the book didn't gel with me perfectly either (overdrive, fourthing, etc). It kind of felt like one of those "What if X were true" brainstorming sessions. But the whole point of Fiction books is to explore different ideas so I'm cool with it.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention, and something I did enjoy quite a bit about this book, was the fact he often went into detail about body language and the non-verbal communication aspects that don't always translate well into books.