I really enjoyed the writing of this novel
588609
An elite prep school has three competitions a year where the students submit stories to meet some of the biggest authors of the day.

I really enjoyed the writing of this novel.  The language is descriptive and beautiful, re-creating the world of this boys boarding school perfectly.  Unfortunately for me, the book ended past its natural stopping point.  To me the climax of the story is the last writing competition.  But for some reason, the book continued for another 50 pages.
4839000
This short novel focuses on the mysterious death of a sex worker back in the 1800's. The writer uses an interesting approach to telling the story. She alternates chapters and narrative perspectives between the life of the investigator, and the life of the sex worker. She also alternates time lines, between the past and the present. I think that the structure really adds to the experience, and deepens connection with the characters. I am not someone that often finds mystery novels very interesting, but this one hooked me because it was also very much about loneliness and self worth. Both of the main characters have experienced feelings of isolation and internalized worthlessness, and they are both looking to find a way back to feeling comfortable with themselves and having peace. I liked that a lot, and felt that it was this element that really gave the narrative some depth. A very good first effort, and I look forward to reading more of their work in the future as they grow in their craft!
2076119
I really loved this novel, the writing is excellent and keeps you guessing. I was not ready for that ending !
4587147
This is a poignant and interesting story.  It was hard to put down.  I have had trouble finding something interesting to read among the piles of trash that currently occupy the Amazon Kindle store, and this was definitely not trash.  While some people might hesitate because the story does dip into the cancer experience, it is done in a creative and humorous way so that you don't find yourself wanting to slit your wrists 12 pages in.  I very much enjoyed the style of writing and the pacing of the book.  The characters were extremely memorable and didn't have that annoyingly phony or stereotypical air about them.  It felt very real and down-to-earth but had a supernatural lilt to it that was just very enjoyable.
4851645
I got this book because my book club was reading it.  I very much enjoyed the writing style - it was very evocative for even the simplest comparisons or actions.  There were a few things that were never explained, but that didn't detract from the overall story.  (I'm not sure about Lily.)  This was a very well-written story about a very serious situation that we don't consider very often.
2540048
I thought that this book was very well written with an interesting plot.
3441342
The characters in this novel were complex and honest.  The pain that was felt by Nadia, Aubrey and Luke feels very real and thoughts about their pain are brought up that are not often discussed.  The writing was gorgeous.  You could tell from the writing if it was the young people who were speaking or if it was the church mothers.  Bennett has a unique ability to give each of her readers a voice and it was so refreshing.  When reading the synopsis, I was worried that this novel would be depressing.  Suicide and abortion are not topics that one likes to talk, or even think, about too often.  I didn't feel depressed while reading it, though.  Instead, I felt wisdom and integrity.  I really enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it to anyone that likes to read women's fiction.
2203234
I really really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait for it to continue. The whole setting was intriguing, and the characters well developed and overall wellwritten. At some point the book focused solely on one character, and some of these passages were in my opinion too long, because I had almost forgotten about the others.

I will recommend it to others.
4352
This is the first book I've read by this author and I plan to read more of her work.  I could really feel and understand the characters and the circumstances they were going through.  I liked the author 's style of writing.
3700475
Wonderful discriptive writing.  It takes a bit to get use to the author's syntax and punctuation peculiarities, but once you get over that, it is rather fun and refreshing.  This work does have it's own rhythm and I rather like that.  I like the way the author has take very "ordinary" people, and told a story, proving again, that there is merit and a tale in every life.  I suppose many may be a bit put off as the the fact that the characters are not all that different from you and me, but that is one of the strong point of the work, I feel.  I could not find one character in the book, that I have not meet in "real life" and that was kind of nice.  I highly recommend this read and hope we get more of the same.
1251966
I was pleasantly surprised by The Replacement. The writing is fantastic, the characters great, and the world and atmosphere eerily real and disturbing. While it had a couple hiccups for me, I thoroughly enjoyed following Mackie's journey of discovery and the fight to save the people of Gentry from more destruction and tragedy. I am glad I took a chance on this novel and will definitely be looking to get my hands on more of Yovanoff's work.

*8.5/10*
3865808
I very much enjoyed this novel. Henry although being a rather complex character, is a thoughtful and loyal friend who is determined to find out what happened to his mentor. It was refreshing to find that this writer didn't fall into the standard P.I. framework, that the police hate all P.I.'s and will not cooperate with them. He works will with his friends in the police department and even the Chief respects his work. I am a writer also and believe we should break the old molds and write refreshing new ideas. This book is well worth the read.
4169161
I truly enjoyed the author's writing of this well known story.  The characters are well defined and brought to life and the incorporation of the present with this historical past is well done.
1452121
I really enjoyed reading this novel.  The US Virgin Islands were unknown to me until I read Chasing Paradise.  I loved learning about this spot in the Caribbean, often thinking of the island as a character in this book which I think is great.  This is not the genre of novel that I tend to read but I found myself staying up on a Friday evening plowing through most of it.  It made me chuckle and brought tears to my eyes on several occasions.  The characters were developed in such a way that I had a lot of empathy for them even when they made poor choices.
199862
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

I struggled with this rating. I was torn between three and four stars so, lets just say this is 3.5 stars?

I would have to say that the writing was what really kept me reading, even though this was the authors first novel, I did enjoy the writing.

I loved the ending and a few bits in the middle but the beginning didn't really work for me. There was a lot of talking and it seemed like it was kind of overwhelmed with different POV changes, I couldn't really keep everything straight.

Also, I didn't really like the fact that the couple didn't even meet until almost more than halfway through the story. I really loved reading about the couple and even though the readers can only spend so much time with them, I was pleasantly surprised at feeling the connection between them. Almost makes it worth the wait.

Im not in love with this book but I did like it. The talking, multiple POV changes and the couple not meeting sooner were really the only problems I had. I would have loved to have more time with Leon and Nancy.

Over all though, its a really, really interesting read with much appreciated facts about China. As soon as the action got going, I really got into it, which is why I struggled with the rating.

If you're interested in a thriller/conspiracy novel with spies, action, a little romance, and a bit of a desire to learn a little about China, I would recommend you pick up this book.
2718346
First off, I am on a serious lack of sleep so bear with me here!

I really enjoy this author's writing. It flows nicely and I thought her first book did as well. I know the other novel got lots of bad reviews and I was surprised at the harshness. In this novel I fell in love with the characters right away. Well, except for the husband who was just a plain jerk! The boy was cute with his soccer dream, however, me myself not caring for soccer got a little tired on all the commentary on his games. Lucky's grandfather (Now, I cannot remember his name or the boy's mother's name because I got no sleep last night) was a hoot. Very witty and always with the quips. This character was the most well developed of all.

Now, I know this review is really juvenile and sounds like it's written by a 7 yr old but I just wanted to get on here and say that I enjoyed the book, in case someone wants to know. Now hopefully I can get some sleep...
1041910
This was a really well written page turner.