Tag Archives: Book Review

What I’m Reading: Truly Madly Guilty

Posted in Book Review, Books, What I'm Reading by

26247008From Goodreads.com:
Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?

Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit, busy life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job, and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there’s anything they can count on, it’s each other.

Clementine and Erika are each other’s oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don’t hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid’s larger than life personalities there will be a welcome respite.

Two months later, it won’t stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can’t stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn’t gone?

In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.

My review:
This is the 4th book by Liane Moriarty that I’ve read and once again, she didn’t disappoint overall.

My first reaction after finishing the book? Whew! Like many other readers have noted, it took a while for things to take off and get interesting, but once you hit that point in the book it was hard for me to stop reading! The flash-forwards and flashbacks made me constantly scream inside my head, “WHAT HAPPENED?!!??” And then when it did my heart dropped and well, you’ll just have to read the book to figure out why.

This book also tugged at the heartstrings a little bit and makes you really think about people’s behaviours – a “don’t judge a book by its cover” sort of situation. It also made me think of how friendships are made and slowly evolve over time, changing as we do.

While I didn’t really connect with any of the characters they were still relatively likeable, although I would’ve liked more background on why Clementine decided she needed to do those talks of hers … the rest of the story could’ve went on without that part.

Still, I’m giving Truly Madly Guilty 4 stars out of 5. If you have the patience to get through the first half of the book it’s definitely worth picking up! 

What I’m Reading: China Rich Girlfriend

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28503789From Goodreads.com:
It’s the eve of Rachel Chu’s wedding, and she should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond, a wedding dress she loves, and a fiancé willing to thwart his meddling relatives and give up one of the biggest fortunes in Asia in order to marry her. Still, Rachel mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be there to walk her down the aisle.

Then a chance accident reveals his identity. Suddenly, Rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of Shanghai splendor, a world where people attend church in a penthouse, where exotic cars race down the boulevard, and where people aren’t just crazy rich … they’re China rich.

My review:
As the sequel to Crazy Rich Asians, I was excited to read China Rich Girlfriend and to see what was next for Rachel Chu and her extended family, and it didn’t disappoint.

Light but still hilarious, I loved the outrageousness of how materialistic the characters were. It’s all completely over the top and hard to believe that people actually live this way, but I suppose when you’re a “simple” North American you’d never be able to catch a glimpse of their lavish lifestyle.

I do wish that there was more story development with Rachel and Nick, rather that just plopping them into the various chapters that involved more of their new-found “China rich” friends. And I really didn’t quite understand the point of including Kitty Pong/Mrs. Bernard Tai in the story as the only tie-in to the rest of the characters was minuscule.

Still, my Asian half related to this book just as it did with Crazy Rich Asians, which only made it more enjoyable for me. I’m giving it 5 stars out of 5, and I’m looking forward to the third instalment coming out in May this year!

What I’m Reading: The Girl on the Train

Posted in Book Review, Books, What I'm Reading by

22557272From Goodreads.com:
EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

My review:
Yet another book that I’m certain I’m one of the last people on the planet to have JUST read it. And I didn’t even realize it was being made into a movie until I downloaded and wondered why the F Emily Blunt was on the cover. Either way, I digress …

So, The Girl on the Train is/was referred to frequently as the “next Gone Girl.” I personally think that Gone Girl is the better read out of the two, but that’s not to say that The Girl on the Train was bad; the characters weren’t just as captivating for me as Gone Girl’s. I found Rachel to be messy and irritating, and Anna just drove me bananas. And what happened with the guy with the red hair? I felt he would’ve had a bigger role in the end, but apparently not.

Still, I found myself chewing through the pages because I just needed to know who did it, and the guilty person surprised me a little. Hawkins did a great job keeping me guessing, I just wished the characters were more likeable. There wasn’t a single character that made me think, “She/he COULDN’T have done it, I like them too much!”

Overall, I’m giving The Girl on the Train 4 stars out of 5, only a half-star less than Gone Girl.