I really wanted to like this book . . .
592720
I really wanted to like this book. It was heartwarming, touching, the setting was nice, and the characters were believeable. But I just could not care about their problems. There just seemed to be too many problems, and they seemed too ordinary. In the end, the writing style and the plot, while nice, could not generate in me enough interest to get me to want to keep reading. It's a nice book for somebody, but the pace was just too slow for me.
2322793
There was nothing I liked about this book....
2386852
Given the premise, I really wanted to like this book, but by 100 pages in I just wasn't hooked. Most of the books I read beg to be opened and finished. This one just sat on my nightstand until it was replaced.
2392161
I was so, so excited to read Lie. The cover is gorgeous, and I love the idea - what could get someone to commit such a terrible crime is fascinating, and I thought Skylar's conflict of what to do about it would be too. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it.

What first surprised me is the high number of points of view. I thought it would just be alternating perspectives, switching between Skylar and Sean, but there are ten different points of view. In my opinion, that's just too many. What annoyed me about the points of view isn't really the mere number, though, it's the way the perspectives are done. Most of these characters aren't even real characters, more like plot devices, the only purpose of their passages being to give more information about the main characters. Basically, all of them (except for the brother and mother of the hate crime victim, of course) talked about how they're a good person and how it's not their fault while expressing totally racist ideas. That just really upset me.

The characters are flat and have no real personalities. There is no showing, only telling. I don't usually mind telling all that much, since I'm a lazy reader, but in Lie, that was too extreme, even for me, since it's seriously all telling. That made it basically impossible for me to get to know and relate to the characters. And what I did know about them, I didn't particularly like. I especially hated Lisa Marie - she's a terrible friend. I keep thinking of a scene in the beginning, talking about how Skylar didn't want to go out or do anything right after her mother died, which annoyed Lisa Marie, who compared it to how she was only sad for a day when her dog died. How could you possibly compare those two things? That made me dislike Lisa Marie, right from the start. Skylar is a character I think I could have related to and felt for, especially about her mother's death, but we get to see almost none of her grief, or any feelings, for that matter, and she's underdeveloped too.

This book should have made me feel for the characters and understand why they acted they way they did, but it just didn't work. Throughout the entire book, I just thought the whole thing was so, so wrong. I should have gotten why people followed and looked up to Jimmy, but he seemed like an ass to me the entire time. Everybody always said 'beaner-hopping' was just for fun, but... really? I can't imagine how no one could say anything against that, and how they couldn't see what was wrong with hurting hispanic immigrants for fun every weeked. The way they justified it, saying they were keeping the town safe and protecting it from immigrants and helping, doesn't even make sense - how does beating up people help anyone? I just never understood their reasoning, and since that's the main part of the book, it didn't really work for me.

The plot is... well, not too much happens, and the whole plot is really slow. The ending is another thing that frustrated me, since it says so little. I would have liked a stronger positive message to make up for the homophobic way of thinking of almost all of the characters.

I really wanted to like this book, but choppy writing, characters I couldn't relate to and too many different perspectives made it hard for me to enjoy. I don't particularly recommend Lie, unless the topic is something you're really, really interested in.
4473895
I really wanted to like this book, and, for the first few chapters it seemed like I was going to, with some clever examinations of trope and cliche.  Very quickly, however, things got... uneven.  A trope would be skewered by... falling back on another trope.  Our Villain started to act differently... until the plot necessitated that he act like the villain again.  Our Hero's motivations were constantly shifting for unclear reasons, etc.
933352
I really wanted to like this.  The style of writing is interesting, and somewhat poetic, which is why this even rates two stars.  The story just seems to ramble on and on, and didn't keep my attention.  It was painful to keep going, and I still haven't finished it...  (I normally read through books to the end in a relatively short amount of time.)  The writing style, while interesting and poetic, slips key bits of information into the story to the point where it's almost hidden, rather than doing what most writers do and building up to important parts of the storyline.  Several times I found myself rereading a sentence or paragraph to verify that I had read it correctly -- that significant parts of the story had just been slipped in to otherwise rambling text.  It's not that things need to be pointed out to me, but I found this method of storytelling very anti-climactic.  Additionally, the characters were so highly flawed, with so little (or in some cases no) redeeming qualities, I didn't find myself connecting with any of them.  I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it.
4253863
I really wanted to like this book.  I'm not a Parrothead, but I enjoy Jimmy's music.  I'm not a pilot, but I like airplanes.  I like the Caribbean culture and lifestyle ad wanted to learn more about the area.  50 is in the "rearview mirror," but I wanted to see how Jimmy had handled that milestone.  I figured this book might scratch all those itches. Well...not so much.  I enjoy reading and did finish the book, but found it more of a chore than a nightly read I looked forward to.  It rambles a lot, and as someone else reviewed here, more resembles a disjointed blog than anything else.  I found a used copy here and  was glad I didn't pay much for it.  My money would have been better spent on a margarita and a digital download of one of Jimmy's tunes.
3423879
I've gotta echo some of the other reviews when I say that I really, really wanted to like this book. I started it once, got to about page 100, and abandoned it. I started over again about a month later, and managed to get to 124 before I realized what was killing me about it: SO little happens in the first 100 pages of the book.

Let me be positive for a second: Andromeda is a great character, very unique, very well written, very understandable. Her world is populated by believable characters and places. And her interactions with people ring true.

The issue I had is that SO few pages in this book are devoted to forward plot momentum, while so many have to do with her occult analysis and flashbacks to past events. It's sort of amazing in hindsight that this wasn't written in the first person, as we spend such a major portion of the book seeing into Andromeda's brain. To me, it makes the book move insanely slow - we want forward momentum, and Andromeda's character really comes to life when we see her actions and interactions, not read her mind. I hate to say it, but it's really filled to the brim with exposition.

The book ends up covering about 9 days, but the actual real-life events that happen in those days are incredibly minimal. And even events that occur in this time period are sometimes written about in the distant past - for example, a ritual that Andromeda performs on p. 363, which seems to be somewhat important (and risky!) and is even given a fair amount of build-up, is then described as if being remembered four or five hours later, instead of in the moment. Rather than experience it in the moment alongside Andromeda, it's treated as yet another flashback.

All of this wouldn't be so bad if the book weren't so complicated in terms of its occult authenticity. I really, really appreciate that Frank went out of his way to make a book that would have made a reader like his own Andromeda proud. However, I remember a suggestion I heard about writing, which was essentially "research, research, research, then throw away your research notebook and just write." Here, it feels like Frank is constantly referring to his research notes on a sentence by sentence basis (or is just an amazingly knowledgeable occult expert). Ultimately, it becomes near inaccessible, no matter how pedestrian he tries to make the concepts, and at best, you better hang on for the ride.

Unfortunately, many of the important plot points in the book hinge on the meaning of a tarot card, or interpretation of a synch, and the world is just too closed to be as amazed by their significance as Andromeda is. I really wanted to be as blown away by some of the occult turns as she was.

As I said in the beginning, this kills me, because without question the best parts of this book are the elements of actual real life events. Not the paragraphs of occult interpretation, or memories of past events; but the actual forward-moving story. Andromeda at school, Andromeda interacting with kids at a "tea party," at home with her parents, with boys, and dealing with a bicycle in a tree. These are the moments that shine, and fully convey Frank's wit and expertise at conveying high school life. It was a fight to get to the end, and it really shouldn't have been.

I would love to see Andromeda resurrected in future stories that continue her story.

Finally, I have to give the designer credit - without question, BEST book cover I've seen this year.
3522032
I really wanted to like this book. In fact, even as I'm sitting here writing a 2-star review, I wish I could give it more stars.  The truth is that, while I liked the characters and the story showed promise, I couldn't get past the blatant grammatical errors.  If this novel was not self-published, then the author needs to rip into her publisher and editors.  If it is self-published, then I'd strongly suggest hiring a (different?) editor.

So what were some of the problems?

Missing words:  There were so many missing words that were necessary for the sentences to make sense.  If this just happened once or twice, I'd understand -- the author has read her book so many times that she "sees" things that aren't there that should be.  But her editors should've caught more than they did.

"Should've/Could've went" are like nails on a chalkboard.  I could almost get past it in dialogue, but NOT in the actual writing.  Character's never "should've went' anywhere...they "should've gone."

The words "past" and "passed" are not interchangeable.  You cannot say "He ran passed her."  It should be, "He ran past her."

The words "your" and "you're" are also not interchangeable.  "You're" means you are.  "Your" is possessive, as in "It's your house."

Now, I realize I've been really negative and I hate doing that, so let me tell you the positives:

I liked the characters.  I dang-near fell in love with Mason/Razor.  It's why I kept reading so long past the point of irritation with the grammar.  I loved the fact that he was not your stereotypical geeky hacker.

I loved the idea of a batshit crazy ex-girlfriend out for revenge.  Nice touch.

I liked the pace and the not knowing what was going to happen next...twists and turns were awesome.

And I liked the relationship that was developing between the two characters.  It showed really good promise, and there were some really "real" aspects to it.

But I couldn't get past the grammar, as hard as I tried. And it's for that reason that I stopped reading at 47%.  I just couldn't do it anymore, even though I wanted to push through.

There is one "good" in this overwhelming negative review.  Normally I'd give an "I couldn't finish" book only 1-star.  This one gets two for keeping me reading long past the point where I should've stopped.  And, like I said, it really does show promise. But, as much as I'd love to know how Mason unravels himself through the next twist and turn, I just don't have the patience to sit through any more "Should've/Could've wents."  If the author doesn't know better, then her editors should've.

If these things won't bother you, then I'd recommend giving this book a try.  If you do, let me know how it ends. :)
3688164
....Especially because of the nature and sensitivity of the topic. I found the narrative very difficult to read. It was repetitive, and I didn't find it engaging. I so wanted to like this book, because the story is so compelling. But I put it down after the first 80 pages because it didn't seem to be going anywhere. The abuse chapters were repetitive and not in a way that I found additive to the story.
Too bad.
283415
I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to like this book. I knew that living in Bangkok I had to read it. I bought a copy in a second hand bookshop. Ok, I wasn't that obsessed by the promotion. But I had to like this book. It had won awards and was set in my home city. I began reading. Hmmmm. First chapter concerns fruit. Fruit is good. The author had even gone to the bother of finding out how to pronounce the names of fruit in Thai. Immpresive. First ten pages. Fruit. Great. Then the Megodont. Big elephant creatures who generate power. Nice. I would guess the Thai's would use the word Chang. Megochang. Hell, what do I know? Then we have some action.  A crazed Megodont breaches his restraints and goes, like, crazy, man. He attacks people that we haven't had time to care about yet. But we keep reading. Perhaps there is more stuff about fruit. No luck. A guy drinks mekong whiskey. Cool. Things improve by page 53 - 'Kammika drags her further back, bending her like willow, forcing her to thrust her breasts out to the crowd, to arch further still, to spread her thighs...' Now that grabs our attention. The problem is from then on the novel tends to drag it's feet. Yes the writing is skillful. The concept is creative. The author has researched the city. This is all great. But I couldn't get past page 53. I think this probably says more about my attention span than the author's work which is obviously great having won the Nebula. And yes, Bacigalupi does write very much like William Gibson. I sense that this is a great novel, but I just failed to 'get' it.
4918174
I must say, I really wanted to like this book.  Before I say why I did not like it all that much, I'll give the positives.  The author is extremely good at writing dialogue, which is very rare in a "Star Trek" book.  The author also does a good job of setting up the potential for a really good story.
I was really hoping for a genre-bender here, given the cover and description of the book--something between Original "Trek" and "The X-Files."  Instead, the book is filled with self-referencing "Star Trek" trivia that span far more than the Original Series.  There's some "Enterprise," some "Deep Space Nine," and some "Voyager."  Not what I would call Original "Trek."  Instead of all this self-referencing there could have been a really cool and original story about the crew of the Enterprise encountering Gray aliens, Men in Black, and flying saucers.  Spock could have been abducted and given an implant.  Chekov could have received an anal probe, which would have allowed for his trademark scream.  Seriously, this could have been a really great book mixing the "Star Trek" and ufology mythologies.  But no, just self-referencing.  And talking in place of action, telling instead of showing, for hundreds of pages.
I can write a better "Star Trek" novel and someday I intend to prove it.
4916833
I really wanted to like this book.  In fact, I looked forward to getting a chance to read it and review it through the vine program.  Perhaps my expectations were too high.  The main character, Peter, is a sweet and well fleshed out character.  Unfortunately, something in the writing style was just missing for me.  The premise here is great, looking at a Chinese young man, the only son in his family, who is living a lie....he believes that he should have been born a girl.  The writing is free of that "preachy" or outmoded view of the trans life.  Just not enough to rate it higher, the style is just lacking something.
1744974
I really wanted to like this book, especially since I enjoyed "Debt" so much.  However, this book was a bit more juvenile than Debt.  The hero was not alpha and I just couldn't get into him.  He was too much of an immature player.  I also didn't really like the heroine.  She was too much of a b*tch, in my opinion.  With those two characters, I just didn't like their interactions and really didn't see much romance brewing between the two of them.  All that was really well done for me about this book was the writing.  This author can really write well.  But all of the other points, which are my own issues, did not make this an enjoyable book for me.
4754671
I really, really wanted to like this. I didn't know what to expect, and I was eager for the book to go in many different directions. [Cuzzy, an 18 year old father going nowhere fast, meets a flamboyant, charasmatic educated drifter named Tracy, who sort of gives Cuzzy a job, while residing in his (we are lead to believe) lovers families home. A relationship ensues. To see what kind you'll have to read it] To say the characters were rushed, had no depth, and were frustratingly incoherent with the world around them, is an understatement. There really is no momentum, the plot doesen't go anywhere, and I don't think the author wanted it to go anywhere. The insert flap says the relationship between the two main characters is "the focus of scrutiny and debate". Say what? If the debate were from some ignorant, blue collar, beer guzzling neanderthals, well then it was stereotyping rather than scrutiny. Other than that there is no real conflict. Is there a clear difference?

The author however, really does a fine job keeping you on your toes, just when a reader's initial pre-conceived notions about a situation is about to ensue, she throws you in a complete whirlwind of ignorance, and voila, the not so ordinary, ordinary happens, for lack of a better phrase.

I don't really know how long it took Sue to write this, but clearly the conflicts could have been so much more engaging, and thoughfully written chapters could have ensued if Cuzzy and Tracy were more tangible. I felt betrayed as a reader as I wanted to be in Cuzzy's world so badly from jumpstreet, yet never managed to really sit shotgun, just sort of was window shopping.

I think the gester on Ms. Halpern to use geology, material science, etc, as from her other non-fiction books of the matter, and bring it into the pre-chapters as non-binding intro's was refreshing, and to have Cuzzy with really no aspirations or intellectual stimualtion, know so much about Nature, was very pleasing. However again, falling short on Cuzzy as a person I wanted to know, the knowledge he had of Nature was not very beliveable, and as a reader I so wanted to believe he would make more out of his life than trucking rubble perhaps and we are led to believe, even in the end that nothing will change for this young man.

Donna Seaman's statement that Halpern's gripping tale about life's myriad hardships astutely considers the dangers inherent in cross cultural exploration, is giving the book accolades which it CLEARLY does not deserve. Tracy's introducing Cuzzy to a world so foreign to him, was merely passe and out of context with trying to actually show Cuzzy could perhaps have an inherent interest in these things.

In closing, it started off really intriguing, then drops off and falls hard and never seems to find solid ground again. The ending, albeit very unexpected and refreshing in a sense, is rushed and dissapointing, and that was a real shame.
680496
I really wanted to like this book, and I just couldn't no matter how hard I tried. I'm a fan of period mysteries, but I'm also a fan of characterization and Million Dollar Baby faltered on that score. Meade relied 1) on the economy of stereotype and 2) on period slang and repartee in order to bring her characters to life. Unfortunately, I never could figure out the motivations of the characters--why does Creighton develop a crush on Marjorie so quickly? It seems simply that she's an attractive woman who happens to be within a five-foot range. Why does Marjorie feel the need to prove herself in particular ways? Simply because she lives in a small town and longs for excitement? I understand that Meade may have been aiming to produce a detective novel of wit, but without a sense of the characters themselves the wit falls flat and is not adequate to carry the momentum of the story, even in tandem with the mystery--which is never compelling enough to make us feel invested in the outcome. Ultimately, I think Marion Chesney and Carola Dunn do this genre much better.
3507859
I really wanted to like this book because the premise intrigued me, but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief.