Review: Postscript

I read P.S. I Love You a long, long time ago. Cecelia Ahern's breakout novel was published in 2004 and the movie was released in 2007. I definitely know I read it before watching it because I remember being annoyed at the bizarre things that were changed in the movie. All that to say, I had to stretch my memory almost 15 years to remember what happened in the first book when I picked up the sequel, Postscript, back in September.

Here's the synopsis:

It's been seven years since Holly Kennedy's husband died – six since she read his final letter, urging Holly to find the courage to forge a new life.
She’s proud of all the ways in which she has grown and evolved. But when a group inspired by Gerry's letters, calling themselves the PS, I Love You Club, approaches Holly asking for help, she finds herself drawn back into a world that she worked so hard to leave behind.
Reluctantly, Holly begins a relationship with the club, even as their friendship threatens to destroy the peace she believes she has achieved. As each of these people calls upon Holly to help them leave something meaningful behind for their loved ones, Holly will embark on a remarkable journey – one that will challenge her to ask whether embracing the future means betraying the past, and what it means to love someone forever…

I'm not sure Postscript could have stood alone without the success of P.S. I Love You. The Holly in this book has gotten stuck. She wasn't in a great place in the first book, obviously, but you can tell that she hasn't quite gotten to really living part of her new life. She's kind of just...existing. I'm not blaming her, I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your partner and try to move on. Even though she sometimes seemed like someone you couldn't be friends with, she was very much a hot mess, I was rooting for her the entire time.

I found the novel to be really...I don't necessarily want to say realistic but Ahern did not sugarcoat things. Holly had a lot of really hard things to get through in this story and Ahern didn't pull any punches. Yes, facing, once again six years later, what Gerry's death did to her was hell. Of course it was. Helping others, while usually a noble pursuit, is not helping her and her not-quite-healed wound. Is it what she should be doing? Or is it something she feels she has to do? Holly has a lot to grapple with and it was sometimes hard to read as she worked things out.

And the members of the PS I Love You club? They'll break your heart. Not intentionally, of course, but how could you not be heartbroken once you meet members who are so wonderful and who are facing a terminal illness? It's hard but sweet all at once.

Ultimately, I was really happy with the way this story turned out. It's heartbreaking but I had forgotten the way Ahern tells her stories and how great they are, even when dealing with something less than ideal.

And heads up: the rights to this book have been sold too so a movie is a-comin'. Let's hope it's a better adaptation.

I was a fan of Postscript and was reminded why I used to read everything Cecelia Ahern wrote. Your heart will get a little bruised while reading this one but it will be so much fuller by the end.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: How to Fall in Love

I've been a fan of Cecelia Ahern for years (possibly since the movie P.S. I Love You was being promoted as I would have read the book before the movie was released!) so when I received an advanced copy of her latest, How to Fall in Love, I was thrilled. It was released back on October 24th but it took me awhile to get around to it. Craziness as I ended up devouring it in one day. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon read!

Here's the synopsis:

She has just two weeks. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love – with his own life.
Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate – but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him she can show him that life is worth living before then.
Despite her determination, Christine knows what a dangerous promise she’s made. Against the ticking of the clock, the two of them embark on wild escapades, grand romantic gestures and some unlikely late-night outings. Slowly, Christine thinks Adam is starting to fall back in love with his life.
But has she done enough to change his mind for good? And is that all that’s starting to happen?

Friends and family had been asking me what I thought of this book as soon as I said I finished it. That was good preparation for this review! I realized that I didn't love this because it was amazing in a literary sense but because the story completely grabbed me and would not let go. I was invested in Christine and Adam's story and I was feeling Christine's nerves when she worried about "saving" Adam before his birthday deadline. I also really liked reading about the love and affection that grew between the two of them. Their feelings grew naturally and they had a lot of fun together - even though they were dealing with a super serious issue. I also liked that it wasn't just Christine helping Adam but that he helped her as well. They learned from each other and I enjoyed seeing that.

There wasn't a magical element to this novel like with some of Ahern's others but there was still a strong sense of fate and how that plays into our lives. By this I mean that there seemed to be some cosmic reason for what Christine had gone through and why she and Adam met. It sort of makes you think about how, why, and when certain people come into your life.

Even though this book is dealing with Christine trying to keep Adam from killing himself, a less than cheerful topic, there were still a lot of lighthearted moments. Christine's family, for example, provided a lot of comic relief. I also loved hearing about how Adam first asked his ex-girlfriend out. He dressed up as Waldo from Where's Waldo? and showed up everywhere she was for an entire day but didn't say a thing to her. How much fun is that?

I can't really give a concrete reason why I loved How to Fall in Love so much, I just did. It was one of those books I adored reading from start to finish. Cecelia Ahern's latest novel is by no means perfect but the issues I had didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of this novel. It was a definite winner for me!

*An advanced copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for an honest review.*

Bunch of Mini Reviews 6: You Guessed It, More Library Books

This edition of library books mini reviews features two books I read ages ago and have since read the next book in the series as well as a holiday book. It's a diverse post with something for everyone!

Dare You To - Katie McGarry (synopsis)

I originally wanted to read this series because I had heard the male main character in book two was a baseball player. Why? Because my boyfriend is also a ball player and I find that there aren't nearly enough baseball playing characters in books these days. Then, I read the first book in the series (I have to go in order!), Pushing the Limits, and was sucked in. I wanted to love the second as much as I loved the first but I didn't quite have all the feels like I had before.
I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love Dare You To as much as the first. I wonder if my issue was with how supremely messed up Beth was. Her home life is brutal. I can't even imagine how awful it'd be to live her life. Or Ryan's life, for that matter. His family is picture perfect on the outside but there are some serious issues there, behind closed doors. His father was a hard character to like and get a read on. I like that the story was realistic, portraying all kinds of lifestyles (sadly, kids like Beth exist) but I had to wonder: how real is too real? The characters in this series are seriously screwed up. Drugs and abuse feature prominently and I, at 26, found it hard to read. That being said, I was a really sheltered teen. I'm a small town girl and I was so naive when I was young. Would I have fully understood this book if I had read it at 16? Doubtful. (I thought the same thing in my review of Sarah Dessen's Dreamland.) This isn't a "teens are too young to read about tough subjects" kind of rant. Trust me, teens should read whatever they want. They can handle it, though they might not get it. I just wonder if maybe some of the tough subjects are taking things too far and aren't explained well enough. Both Beth and Echo, from Pushing the Limits, are so completely faithful to their moms even though each mother is destroying their daughter. I don't think either book showed the girls really getting the help they needed since they were both too closed off. Nitpicky? Maybe. But it was something that stuck with me that I just couldn't shake.
In a way, I like that McGarry held back some information - why Ryan's brother isn't around, what's in Beth's mom's apartment, etc. - but it drove me a little crazy waiting to find out what these "big secrets" were.
I really did like getting to know Beth more. In Pushing the Limits she was such a standoffish character that I wondered how on earth I would enjoy her story. Even though I had issues, I did like reading about her. It was heartbreaking to read about her life and watch as her uncle, Ryan, and Lacy tried to get through to her.
Dare You To is a tough read but it's a good one. I really liked reading about Ryan and Beth's relationship and seeing her realize she can rely on people to help her. I'd still recommend that people read book two before three (Crash Into You which I loved - full review here) because it will help you understand how Beth and Isaiah's relationship ends up.

Star Crossed - Jennifer Echols (synopsis)

When I came across Echols' Stargazer series one night while poking around NetGalley, I got really excited. The first reason was because I read some of her YA books when I was younger and loved them (particularly the Boy Next Door series). The other reason was because this series was all about characters who work in PR. I love reading about people in PR. I think it's because it's something I'd like to do but I don't think I am actually cut out to be a publicist. I don't have the right personality. So, after finding the series, I requested book two and went to my library the next day to pick up the first book. I read the majority of this book on a recent train ride into Toronto and I was hooked. I was so into it that I actually wished the ride was longer and was afraid I'd miss my stop on my way home. So. Good.
I liked that the story didn't focus too much on the romance. It was just part of the larger work/personal storyline. There was also a surprisingly dark part of the overall story. I think that also helped this book from being too fluffy or romance heavy. I already knew I was completely invested in the story and the characters but I realized to what extent when I had to walk through an almost empty parking lot at midnight and I was worried the bad guy from the book was going to come after me!
The sneak peek into the lives of the stars was entertaining. Wendy and Daniel's clients, Lorelei and Colton respectively, seemed like your typical twenty one year old stars and they were crazy without being too over the top. As a reader we got to experience some of the glitz and glamour of Vegas and that was fun.
Finally, a final note about the romance between Daniel and Wendy. I knew it was going to happen but it was not at all predictable. Echols threw in enough twists to keep me on my toes. Also, a word of caution for those who don't like sex in their books, this book is steamy! Whew! There aren't many of those scenes (3 or 4 at most) but they're explicit enough that some people might not like it. And your teenage daughter who has read Echols' other works should not be reading it! :)
I loved reading Star Crossed and I cannot wait to dive into book two, Playing Dirty. It will feature Wendy's friend and colleague, Sarah. I'm interested to see how that one works out!
Update: I wrote this well before I read Playing Dirty and you can read my full review of book two here.

The Gift - Cecelia Ahern (synopsis)

The Gift is a book I’ve been meaning to read for awhile. It was released in 2008 and it’s always been on my radar because I love Ahern but I just never got around to picking it up. I was at the library a few weeks ago and they had their Christmas books all out on display (one of my favourite things) and there, sitting on the shelf, was The Gift. I couldn’t leave without it so I took it home with me. This is a novel that really makes you think. It makes you consider the true meaning of Christmas and of life. It’s heavy but it’s good.

Like a lot of Ahern’s work, there is a magical element to this story. When businessman Lou meets homeless man Gabriel, or Gabe as his friends call him, we know that there’s something more going on – even if Lou doesn’t. 

I also liked how Ahern told the story. The book opens with a teenage boy throwing a turkey through the window of a family home and then we move to the police station (since, obviously, tossing frozen fowl into houses is frowned upon). This is when we realize that there’s going to be more to this story than just a turkey, two police officers, and a business man. Sergeant Raphael O’Reilly is essentially narrating the story for us as well Turkey Boy. Every few chapters the story goes back to the holding cell, O’Reilly, and Turkey Boy and we get more insight into what really happened that day. This may sound like it could be frustrating but it all worked together really well.

I desperately wanted Lou to figure out how badly he was screwing up his life. We could see it, his family could see it, mysterious homeless man Gabe could see it…but he couldn’t. And, of course, if you can’t see your problem you aren’t going to fix it. I hoped for a different ending but deep down I knew I wouldn’t get it. And that was ok because then this story wouldn’t have had the impact that it did.

The Gift isn’t your typical Christmas book. It’s not really full of holiday cheer but it does make you think about how you spend your time, especially around the holidays. Are you rushing around like Lou trying to get a million things done at once? Or are you pausing to enjoy the season with your family and friends. Cecelia Ahern’s novel makes you think twice about what you’re doing with your life and I really liked that.

January Chick Lit Review - "The Book of Tomorrow"



My First Book for the Chick Lit Challenge!

 I spent Sunday reading my first book for the Chick Lit Plus Challenge, much to the annoyance of my mom who had only read about 100 pages of a book while I finished an entire one (sorry, I love you! :) I can't help if I'm a super crazy fast reader).

I chose Cecelia Ahern's The Book of Tomorrow as my first book partly for the title - I found it fitting for the beginning of a new year and the start of this Challenge. Sounds kinda kooky, I know, but that's what I thought :) I've also had it since the trade paperback came out in October 2009 and felt it was high time to pull it off the shelf. For those of you who may not know who Ahern is, she's the author of P.S. I Love You (yes, the book the movie was based on...if you've seen the movie and haven't read the book, get on it! The book is so much more detailed.) Fun fact: she was twenty one when she wrote it. So cool. Since Ahern's other novels fit the criteria for chick lit I decided to give The Book of Tomorrow a whirl.

Here is the snippet from the back of the book (I don't like giving too much away in a synopsis, and honestly, this is so much easier :) don't you agree?)

"Tamara Goodwin has always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. Until a traveling library arrives in her tiny village, bringing with it a mysterious, large leather-bound book locked with a gold clasp and padlock.
What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core.
A mesmerizing story about how tomorrow can change what happens today..."

Honestly, I'm still not sure what I thought of the book. I went through a few thoughts and emotions while reading it. First of all, I didn't realize the protagonist was only sixteen. I know I read a few young adult novels, but I think what threw me off is that I wasn't expecting the main character to be so young. I quickly got over that and then found myself frustrated with the time it took to get to the main point of the story - the so-called book of tomorrow. It finally showed up about 60 pages in and at that point I was already intrigued by the main character, who, by the way, is named Tamara, and the mystery surrounding this book.

Once the story really got going, I realized that it was going to be a sort of coming of age story, with a mystical twist, which Ahern is known for. At the beginning of the novel Tamara is a spoiled sixteen year old girl whose world gets rocked and as the story progresses, it gets rocked a few more times. There are some twists and turns that were really interesting, but this was another thing that had me sort of iffy about. At first I thought it was going to be more like The Forgotten Garden (AMAZING book!!!), then I thought it was more resembling The Thirteenth Tale (good, but odd) and a bit of Her Fearful Symmetry (totally weird and I really didn't like it), and even though I've never actually read it, I feel like it had a touch of Jane Eyre too. Any of this making sense? :)

I found I was trying to work out the big twist for a good part of the end of the book, and I think Ahern needs commending for the shocker at the end. Parts of it were, perhaps, more obvious, and I did figure out two parts of the puzzle, but for the most part I was completely surprised. The writing was great, apart from this annoying repetitiveness when Tamara keeps talking about phrases that are redundant like "very dead."

Overall, I did like the book. It wasn't really as "chick lit" as I thought it would be, but that's ok. I would still recommend it for those who like Ahern and books with a fantastical element to them. I think it was a decent first pick for this challenge, but I hope the next one I choose is better.

Stay tuned next month for my next Chick Lit Challenge Book Review. Wonder what I'll pick...