Review: You Belong Here

You Belong Here by Megan Miranda
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've read and enjoyed books by Megan Miranda in the past, so I was excited for the chance to read this one. Unfortunately, this did not live up to my expectations. I'm used to the books by this author being a slow burn, starting slowly and developing into something I can hardly put down. But this book was extremely slow, not reaching the stage where I had to keep reading until nearly 3/4 of the way into the book. And at the finish, I still had a lot of unresolved questions; was the ending necessary, did all the characters even need to be part of the story, what was the consequence to some of the characters actions, and of course, what happens next in the life of the main characters. There is a short epilogue, but it really didn't give me the answers I needed.

That said, I think this would make a great selection for book clubs! There could be interesting discussions based on the questions I have above. And it would be helpful to get another reader's perspective. A good discussion often raises an 'ok' book to a good book!

Thanks to Scribner Book Club Leaders program for my copy of this book.

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Review: Theo of Golden

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m really wavering on rating this book. I read it for my book club and to be honest, it is not a book I would have picked up on my own. It really didn’t seem like my kind of book, and all the hype was scary. I am usually disappointed when I read an overly-hyped book. This one started out very slowly, confirming my worst fears. It is a slow-paced, character-driven book, and I prefer plot-driven stories. I was tempted to give up on this book about halfway through, but two things kept me reading. First, it is a selection for my bookclub, and I think that implies an obligation to try to get through the book. But the book also hinted at a bit of a mystery and I REALLY wanted to know the why! Early in the book, I thought I’d end up rating it about a 2.5-3. Then towards the end, when I thought the author was going to leave my question unanswered, I was ready to throw the book across the room and rate it about a 1! After all, I’d invested all that time reading! But luckily I read that last chapter and all was explained. The ending redeemed the story. I also appreciate that the author gave us an epilogue, answering even more questions! I still didn’t end up loving the book like others do, but I’m glad I stuck it out. The book is slow-paced and a little preachy at times, but the characters are likable and the last few chapters satisfied my need for resolution. I’m rating this book 3.5.

I read an ebook copy borrowed from my local library. 


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The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book to read with your book club! I was hesitant to read it. The synopsis didn't really grab my attention. But I kept seeing good things about it over and over—on blogs, in library newsletters, etc. So when it came my turn to make the selection for our book club, I chose it and hoped for the best. I am so glad that I did! Nearly everyone in our group rated it a 4.5 and we had a great discussion.

The book does get off to a slow start, so be prepared to hang in there. But once the story gets going, it is hard to put the book down! There are a lot of characters in this story, and it takes awhile to get them all straight. If you are a reader who needs to have a 'good guy' character that you can relate to, you are not going to find it in this book. There are many 'villains' in this book, and most of those who aren't don't have much of a story line. And there are SO.MANY.TWISTS! I'm not sure I've read a book with more twists than this one. It will keep you guessing.

While I enjoyed the book a lot, I wasn't very happy with the ending. It wasn't as clear as I'd like, and I had to go back and re-read the last few chapters a few times to satisfy myself that I understood what had happened. Even worse, it is an 'open' ending. One of the characters has to make a decision, and you don't know what they will decide. I like my ending neatly tied up, and would have appreciated an epilogue that let me know what happened next. As the same time, I'm sure the author's intent was to make us decide what happened next, and the story probably has more impact with the open ending. It definitely makes for better discussion material!

The book should be a hit with book clubs. There are some great discussion points. You can start with 'who did you think did it?' and veer off into the moral and ethics questions and 'what would you have done?' You can find a reading guide on the publisher's website.

I read a copy borrowed from my library.
My rating: 4½ stars - ✭✭✭✭½


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Review: The Third Mrs. Galway

The Third Mrs. Galway by Deirdre Sinnott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first chapter or two in, I was pretty well convinced I would not like this book. Helen was a very young bride, immature and flighty, and making a series of bad choices. But it didn’t take long before the book hooked me. I came to like most of the characters very much. And Helen showed a remarkable amount of growth.

I learned a little about the period before the Civil War from a northern point of view. I’d known that come people had suggested colonizing the slaves back to Africa, but hadn’t realized how concrete that plan was, with a colony already in place. It was also interesting to read the points of view of the ‘colonists’ vs. the ‘abolitionists’. They both had the same goal—to end slavery—but favored different paths to reach this goal. They let their differences divide them to the point they attacked each other and forgot about their common goal. I think that has some lessons for us today, and would make a great topic for book clubs to discuss.

One thing I didn’t like so much was the ending. Overall I was happy with it; it had the ‘happy ending’ I wanted for most of the characters. But I also felt some of it was a little unrealistic. Without giving spoilers, I can only say that there seemed to be no consequences for the actions at the end, and I don’t think that was realistic.

This wasn’t the type of historical fiction that sent me rushing to Google to learn more, and the only real people in the story had minor roles, but it was a book that I enjoyed, and a story that will keep me thinking about it for quite some time.

I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.

My rating: ✭✭✭✭

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