Thought it was a great, fast read because the characters were well-rounded and ...
579933
I've already given one review on this book. Thought it was a great, fast read because the characters were well-rounded and fully thought out.
2269610
I bought this book for free on kindle because my aunt told me how good it was.

Let's just say I finished this book in one day.
That being said I found 30 Days to be an enjoyable quick read that had me dying to see what would happen next. This book was very fast paced which I both enjoyed and disliked at the same time; mostly because I just wanted more of the story. While this book was funny and its fair share of romance, but it also carries a dark tone of abuse. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what happens next, although I was none to happy about the huge cliffhanger.
787392
I enjoyed reading Disappear Home. It was a very fast and easy read for me. The main character Shoshanna and her little sister Mara, escape with their mother, Ella, from the dysfunctional hippie druggie commune where they live with their abusive father Adam. He is basically a nasty piece of work. Ella is not a particularly likeable character but she has the strength to get her daughters out of a bad situation, despite what turns out to be serious mental and physical health issues. What saves them is that they find Ella's friend Judy in San Francisco. Through what we would now call networking, they end of finding a place to stay on a farm and create a new family. There is not a lot of tension, as the threat of Adam always looms, but he does not actually end up coming after them. Everything ends tied up neatly and for the girls there is a really satisfactory ending. The fact that there isn't a Shoshanna boyfriend subplot is refreshing to find in a YA novel. The author is able to evoke a strong sense of place - northern California in the early 70s.
2173271
I finished this book in 2 days, which is quick for me as I'm a slow reader but I really couldn't put it down. It was punchy and had well written dialog between the sisters that showed each of their personalities fairly distinctly.  There were a couple places I was not convinced with the story line between Emily and Jake and the theme might have been too heavy handed at times. Overall though a cute piece of fiction that was a breezy and enjoyable read, I'll read more of her.
267761
I loved that this book's characters were mostly minorities. The best part of that was they were not stereotype minorities. They spoke normal English and ethnic food and language wasn't a huge part of the dialogue. It is so refreshing to have minority characters that are not offensive.

That being said, I really enjoyed the plot. It was well thought out and while there were some small pacing issues for me, it wasn't enough to make me stop reading. I am glad I was reading on my Kindle, though, because there were vocabulary words that could rival any of those found on the SATs. I don't think I've ever had to look up the definitions of words so frequently, but it's all good. :)

Overall, it was a fantastic find because it was a great free read. I plan to read the second book, "Vampire LA."
4499256
Even thought this was a book for young adults, I really enjoyed it. The characters were wonderful and the story was fast paced. It's an easy, but good read that will stir your heart and challenge your thinking. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
2412108
Having just read and reviewed DEATH COME QUICKLY, book 22 in this series, I was eager to read BITTERSWEET. But when I read what the subject of BITTERSWEET was, trophy game ranches, places where animals are kept and raised for the purpose of hunting them for thrills and trophies, I almost choose not to read the book. I personally find such places appalling and feel they should be outlawed.  But I was sent this book by the publisher to review, so I read it.

This is only the second book I have read in this series, but as with DEATH COMES QUICKLY, I found BITTERSWEET to be very well written. There is no doubt author Susan Wittig Albert knows how to draw readers into a story.

Written partly in first person with China narrating, and partly in third person with the story of Chinas friend Mackenzie Mack Chambers being told, I wasn't sure I was going to care for it at first, but I found myself looking forward to the spots where the POV changed (Normally at the start of a new chapter). It kept the story fresh, and I think it was a creative choice.

And even though the subject was not a favorite of mine, without giving anything away, I had reason to smile near the end when the universe had a unique revenge planned for the villain. I cheered!

Rounding out the book is very interesting information on different types of plants, and some tasty sounding recipes.

After reading books 22 & 23 in this series, Im going to get book 1 and start this great series from the beginning.
3968553
I read this one first when I got my new Kindle with its 7-day Kindle Unlimited trial, though from other reviews it seems as if it's a flashback accompaniment to the Jack Stratton series. I thought it was going to be some crap YA book when I realized the ages of the main characters, but it wasn't bad and soon began to engage me in both characters and storyline. The interaction between Jack and his extended family was well done, especially with Chandler, his crime-solving buddy. I thought it was plotted out well, with a few twists and turns for the burgeoning young detectives to puzzle out. It didn't expend the reader to suspend reality as to the capabilities of a couple of teenaged sleuths, either. Pleasantly surprised to find an author who *can* write in the Kindle freebie offerings. Also liked its actual full-novel length (as compared with some other Kindle offerings that are crap novellas or short stories at best; now I know to scroll down to the print length before downloading!). Edited fairly decently for a Kindle book, too; very few errors. I read pretty fast, and for me it was a quick, enjoyable read.

It was good enough for me to download and read Girl Jacked and Jack Knifed via KU once I was done, but alas, I ran out of KU literally as soon as I'd finished the last page of Jack Knifed and the other books in the series *expired* (so much for the *unlimited* part pffft). Really wish I hadn't made the mistake of reading some really bad crap before finding this little gem. I had Jack Wild and Data Jack in the hopper ready to go, but Amazon took them away!
3410279
I found the book a fast-paced, thoughtful and very enjoyable read. I was most pleased, in particular, with two aspects of the book. On the one hand, there was a painful realism in the emotional turmoil that a person with sound memories of teenage years and parental conflict will quickly identify. There is also an echo of C. S. Lewis' "Pilgrims's Regress" that I could not shake as I read the book and tried second guessing the author. However, the strongest and most compelling aspect of the book - and one I will not spoil for other readers - was the penultimate moment of a character facing a long-ignored self-deception. I look forward to more books from Brett!
4840007
Past and Pending is a fun little novella full of a lot of things: humor, snarky narration, and a plot that sometimes feels a little contrived. Since there is a heavy 'whodunit' feel, I won't comment much on the general plot, but it is certainly fast paced and entertaining. I really only had two issues with Past and Pending. For one, I wanted more details. When the characters are by the ocean, I want to know how it sounds, how it smells, not just what the characters see and feel. Those kinds of sensory details were lacking throughout most of the story, and it really took away from the immersion. My second issue stems from the pacing of some of the events. In the beginning, the plot moved nicely with action intermingled with background in a great way. When the action really took off in the middle, I missed the exposition, which is a strange thing to say. The plot and characters were great, so I naturally wanted to know more about them, but I only got a few glimpses into the past here and there. I think Past and Pending could be fantastic with a few tweaks, but I still enjoyed it without a doubt.

~Stuart Thaman, [...]
3351678
I enjoyed this title.  I've been getting a lot of kindle books and I find that many of them are sub-par.  I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  It was fun, well-written, and not too bogged down in details even though the plot was detailed and involved several characters.  The main character had a likeable, intelligent personality, there were no holes in the plot ("well, wait, where did THAT character come from all of a sudden??"), and I found myself looking forward to more when I was finished.  Well-crafted, interesting, and fun.  I couldn't ask for more!!
4140602
Witty, fun, fast read! The characters are fresh and  humorous, the different names and nicknames were very clever, I found myself anxiously waiting to find out everyone's name and occupation! It was a good story line with twists and a good love story. I would give 5 stars except there were a few editing errors, the character in one scene is wearing a skirt and then the author says she's wearing pants, a bit confusing and the incorrect use of accept where it should've been except. Slightly disappointed the bad guys never said "let's go kick some honeybun" lol, maybe in the next book.
642088
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was well written and had a rather original plot. The characters were believable. For the most part the pace was fast.  I would definitely recommend it as a fast, good read!
2739532
I enjoy the modern takes on Sherlock {mainly RDJ and Benedict}, so I was pretty eager to see how this synopsis played out.

First off, I loved the idea of generations-later Holmes and Watson. I love that Holmes was a girl and it was a lot of fun being in Jamie's head. I loved the fast pace of the story and even when things got a bit tedious or repetitive, it was enjoyable.

I didn't care for the characterization of Charlotte. I'm guessing that she's supposed to emulate Sherlock, but I think her constant drug use {and using cocaine at 12?} was ridiculous. Both families had s***y attitudes toward each other and the constant mentioning of that got mildly annoying.

Overall, it was a quick read that kept me entertained and had a few twists that I didn't see coming. I'll definitely read the next one, if nothing else, out of curiosity.

**Huge thanks to Katherine Tegen books and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for and honest review**
4020879
***I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

I loved this book. When I first requested it, I was worried that it might be a bit of a downer, but it really wasnt. Its extremely well-written, with well-drawn, complicated characters; interesting relationships; excellent pacing; and enough going on to hold my interest. The end flowed naturally from the beginning, and I loved watching Lise and Arial grow closer.

One of the twists somehow seemed completely out-of-the blue and yet completely obvious once I thought about it. Its not often that a book surprises me, but it was well done. The other, I saw coming almost immediately, but it wasn't so in-your-face obvious that I felt insulted as a reader.

Personally, I didn't love the sections from Dales point-of-view. I do understand wanting to have a couple of scenes shown from his perspective, but Id have preferred to find some other way to handle it. Even if those scenes had been from Ariels POV, it wouldve helped. It removed a lot of the suspense for me.

But overall, this was an engaging, quick read, and Id highly recommend it.
3969997
*received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review*

I really liked this. It was a great fast-paced read that kept me entertained the whole way. I loved Mikkel and Jo the moment they stepped up on stage. Their tempers are just too much! And I could easily click with both of them, which made the reading experience all the better for me. Fast, entertaining and fun.
2039646
I enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and featured a strong female character.  She is sometimes a bit dense (I wanted to shout at her: Don't leave that door unlocked!), but I guess we all do dumb things from time to time.  Also, I cannot see what a woman like her would see in the guy she was planning to marry.  But, once again, this happens in real life too.
I am definitely planning to read the next book in the Sky Stone series.