Book Review: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

At First Sight: For almost as long as she can remember, Carey has lived deep in a national forest park, in a rundown camper with no other company but her drug-addict mother and her little sister Ness.

She's used to her mother's long absences, to cooking beans a hundred different ways to tempt Ness into eating and to counting their ever dwindling supplies.

But one day, after months without hearing from their mother, a social worker shows up, and along with her a man that Carey can just vaguely remember: her father.

Before they know it, Carey and Ness are swept up and trust back into civilization. They are taken in by Carey's father and embraced by his family - his second wife Melissa is understanding, his stepdaughter a little reluctant - and now they have to deal with this new life.

Ness is mostly okay, everyone loves her - even the dog - and other than not really speaking, she's fine. But for Carey things are more difficult, as she tries to make sense of the lies her mother told her and the reality she faces every day. Not to mention how far she went to protect her sister and the reason why Ness hasn't talked in almost a year. 

Second Glance: If You Find Me is a very, very intense read and so incredibly sad and difficult to read, but it was also so engaging that I couldn't stop once I started.

The story goes back and forth a bit, as Carey remembers the years in the camper with her mother and the things she was forced to do to ensure their survival and to protect her sister whom she adores more than anything in the world.

In her new life, living with her father again, she struggles a lot even as she forms friendships and reconnects with people of her past. She's doesn't magically adapt, she misses the camper and she misses her mother and sometimes her new life is just too much. I'm glad the author adressed this and that it isn't just swept under the rug.

Being inside of Carey's head and seeing what happened to her was really hard, sometimes I just had to put the book down and cry a little, but it never crossed my mind to drop the book because it was so good and compelling and hopeful.

The ending is a little abrupt but it was a good place to end and I wasn't left wondering if the ending was hopeful or if Carey would be okay, I knew she would be. 

Bottom Line: If You Find Me packed quite the emotional punch, it made me cry and it made me feel a lot of The Feelings. There were parts I didn't quite like as much - certain narrative points were a little repetitive, certain things were just too darn convenient - but all in all, this book gutted me but in the best possible way. I even look forward to the author's next offering, even if it'll probably make me cry too.

If You Find Me comes out March 26th. 

Book Review: Saving Grace by Fiona McCallum

At First Sight: Emily Oliphant thought she was getting a happy ending when she married John, heir to the biggest landowners of the county. But what started with a disappointing wedding night never got better and three years later Emily is a bit of a shell of her former self.

Her days revolve around cooking and cleaning for her husband and doing whatever she can to avoid John's temper and her mother's ever present criticisms.

When John agrees to let her get a dog of her own, Emily feels a little hopeful, particularly after she goes to pick up her new dog from a neighboring farmer and strikes an easy friendship with the farmer's wife, in whom she finds a cheerleader and a kindred spirit.

Between this new friendship and the love she feels for Grace, her border collie puppy, Emily is finding her own strength once more; and when John shoots at Grace, just to amuse himself, Emily decides that enough is enough and leves him.

It's scary being on her own for the first time in years, but with the help of her new friends and the support of her father, Emily starts to create a new life for herself.  

Second Glance: Saving Grace was a bit of a mixed bag of nuts. For the most part I found it very enjoyable, I liked Emily a lot and to me it made sense how one seemingly smallish* thing in the big scheme of things sent her over the edge and made her take action over her own life.

As I said, I really liked Emily and I liked reading about her life and her choices, I liked the rural Australian setting.

I only had two problems with the book: one that it goes around in circles quite a bit, you keep reading and reading about Emily starting her new life and after a while you just want something to happen already! And, second, well the ending is very abrupt! I felt like someone took the last third out of my book because there are these narrative threads - among them the romance- that just end. One page you are thinking, "Oh, finally some romance on the way" and the next is all over. 

Bottom Line: I don't want to make it sound like I didn't like Saving Grace because I totally did, I actually got lost in the narrative pretty easily, which is partially why the ending just snuck on me out of nowhere. It could have also used a little more action and romance, but as women's fiction it was very good.  Saving Grace will be published on April 1st by Harlequin Australia. 

1/2

* Who am I kidding? if someone shot my dog just for fun, even if they didn't harm him, I would beat them bloody!! No one messes with mah (9 year old) puppy!! 

At the Movies: Argo

What can I say? We like our movies in our house so we went to see Argo and I have to say that I really liked it! (even more than the Silver Linings Playbook, which I reviewed last week). 

The story revolves around the Hostage Crisis in Iran during 1980, focusing on the extraction of six people who worked at the US embassy in Tehran and who were kept in hiding by the Canadian Ambassador and his family for months. 

Of course, this is a fictionalized account but it works really well as a movie. The tension is kept through out, and it also has parts where it's quite funny. And I actually loved Ben Affleck in this movie, something that hasn't happened since probably Armageddon, I think he has matured a lot as an actor and as a director. And I found Affleck kind of hot in this movie, I'm not gonna lie. 

I can't help comparing Argo to Zero Dark Thirty - which was also a pretty decent movie that also dealt with a fictionalized account of historical events - and I have to say I liked Argo a lot more. 

ZDT was good, and let's call it 'realistic' and I applaud how matter of fact it was about everything that happend... but as a movie it felt flat a few times, there were chunks of time where nothing was happening, and I understand the why of this, but it is a long movie and by the end you really feel it. 

In contrast, Argo comes out on top in the entertainment value. It just is more enjoyable to watch and easier to get into. The mix of Hollywood shenanigans with a really high stake undercover operation was awesome and it works well and I totally believe it. 

In closing, I get why it won the Oscar; out of all the Oscar movies I saw - and I so almost all the movies nominated- it was the best in my opinion, so I'm giving it an A

Book Gossip: Isla and the Happily Ever After

So, I was messing around trying to find something to buy with a 10% off coupon off Book Depository that a friend sent me when I came across... the cover and back copy for Isla and the Happily Ever After. 

I'm surprised by how excited I am about this, because I liked Anna but didn't love it (I don't think I loved it until the second time I read it) and I HATED Lola (though her parents were awesome). But yeah! I'm totally looking forward to Isla! 

So, without further ado, here we go!

Isla and the Happily Ever After

Summary (from Stephanie Perkins's site): From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren't always forever. 

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

Book will be released Autumn 2013

Speed Date: Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino

To try it out, I'm using Mary's format for Speed Dates because it's kind of awesome (I hope she's OK with it :P).

The Plot: Ian Cully is done with the job he never really wanted (firefighter), with living near the person who drives him crazy the most (his father, the Fire Chief) and with pretending he "sometimes dates women too". So he's moving away and starting fresh. 

He's also done with casual hookups that mean nothing to him but a good time... until he meets Sam.

Sam is not done dreaming about his one perfect love (or reading romance novels) but he is done getting into relationships that will get him hurt. Sure, he's too tall, a little too skinny and the kind of hunky men of his fantasies never really go for him... until Ian. 

First Date: This book is kind of awesome! Sam's inner dialogue is hilarious and I really like him. He's a fellow romance reader. Ian is a bit of a jerk sometimes but I totally see the appeal to Sam. 

Second Date: Okay, I don't care to know that much about anyone's sex life, or what they like to lick or do or whatvs. Seriously! Stop sleeping together and talk. 

Third Date: Well... that kind of came out of nowhere. But okay, I'll believe it. Ending is a bit rushed though. 

Relationship Status: Still Dating, future: unsure, but hopeful. - Here is the thing about Too Stupid to Live, there are parts of it that are hilariously fun and sweet, but there were other parts where I was, like," eh? uh? Okay....", it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination but it had potential to be so much better.

And I felt like sex took the place of emotional development and connection for Ian and Sam. I liked them, I believe them together, but sometimes it felt like Ian was with Sam because he was convinient, because he was there. And you should never feel like that about a romantic couple!

Still, like I said, fun book to read. A bit too graphic with the sex stuff for my taste, but won't hold it against it. 

1/2

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm