Girl out of Water by Laura Silverman

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I am aware of the circumstances surrounding this book and the author and my sole purpose is to honestly review this story after having read it in its entirety.
I had to take a two-day break from reading this story and needed a lot of encouragement from my husband and mom to finish it, because about half way through the book I felt like giving up for good, without possibility of reconsideration. But their encouragement worked wonders. I was intrigued to read a young adult contemporary novel about a sporty young woman, facing personal challenges. Sadly, I am not sure what the point of this story was.
The main character, with her personal problems and weaknesses I thought could have been a perfect character for great personal development; however, not much development ever did occur. And the secondary characters were all very well thought out to cater to the main character’s whims.
The writing was easy flowing enough to keep me going, even when it got almost too much to bear. Also, for almost 300 pages the author kept repeating that the main character lived in Santa Cruz, loved Santa Cruz, surfed in Santa Cruz, had her friends in Santa Cruz, misses Santa Cruz, and so on and so forth. It got extremely tiresome to keep reading about it.
The plot would have been great, if it hadn’t been created around those whims of the main character. It felt like the author was too scared to have the main character actually face real challenges and situations that would force her to change. Every time I thought the main character finally had to face the fact that life can not always be peachy, the plot magically twisted in such a way to make it easier for her. It got monotonous very quickly. Also, no action taken by the main character ever had any consequences, which made this entire story even more unrealistic.
Overall, I wanted to give this story a one-star rating, but changed my mind to rate it two-stars, since it could still be entertaining in a fluff-don’t-take-it-too-seriously-beach-read kind of way.

View all my reviews

Seeking Mansfield (Seeking Mansfield #1) by Kate Watson

Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I read this book almost two months ago and it took me this long to sit down and write a review. I feel slightly ashamed for that, but this story took me a lot of going back and forth and back and forth (you get the idea) on how to rate and review it. Since this is a retelling of a favourite story of mine, I know it very well and obviously have a very high opinion of anything that tries to resemble it. In addition, I can’t remember ever having read or reviewed a retelling of an original story.
The characters were all very true to the original with, of course, the additions and modifications that are needed for a modern version. I have to say that through the representation of Fanny in this story I was quite baffled with how little I actually liked the character in the retelling as well as in the original. However, the conflict that arises between her weak personality and her situation is something that will keep the reader engaged for the entirety of the story.
The plot is obviously taken from the original by Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, and it remains true to it until the end, excepting some modifications to adjust for the current time.
The writing was smooth, easy flowing and comfortable to read for hours on end. I noticed a few didactic moments that kept being repeated that I thought were not completely necessary, but those did not take away from the overall story.
Overall, the more I think about it the more I have to say that this is a great introduction to the story by Jane Austen, for anyone who would find the original too intimidating. I would also recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good summer beach read.

View all my reviews

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I was really looking forward to reading this fictionalized story about Einstein’s first wife and probably the driving force of the genius we now celebrate. Unfortunately, this story did not work at all for me.
The main character felt emotionally unavailable, even though the story is mostly narrated by her. I can understand that the circumstances that surrounded her upbringing may have had an influence on her ability to interact in social situations, but the more I read the more I felt like she did not want to participate in life and only report on the passing events. The secondary character and her love interest, the famous Albert Einstein, was completely impossible to relate to and gave off the impression of someone unkempt and very sloppy.
The plot was interesting enough; depicting the life and events of Einstein’s first wife. There was nothing special or spellbinding.
The writing left the reader wanting for more. As a love story there wasn’t much romance that came across and no heart warming butterflies could be felt as the romance between those two lovers and geniuses unfolded. The entire story felt like a very thought out and detailed depiction of events without much emotion, which made it difficult to get through it.
Overall, I felt let down by this story and I had hoped for a bit more closeness to the main character. It is very difficult for a reader to find interest in a main character that is being kept at arms’ length.

View all my reviews