Notice how I made the title rhyme? This was done purposely.

So Mini Reviews are something I’ve never done before, mostly because I read waaaay too slowly for me to update this blog with all reviews in one post, but I’ve been really lagging on writing my reviews, so I think it’s about time.

This one has a theme: Hype Books!

(Which is pretty much the theme of every review on my blog, but – eh- who’s paying that much attention, anyway?)

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people’s lives.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. 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.

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 offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

 

 

My Thoughts:

I’m not so sure my thinking was “forever changed” by this one. It was an interesting story, for sure, but I don’t know where all the hype is based. It is fluidly written with a concrete plot and excellent character development, though. One of my favorite things about The Girl on the Train was the formatting. It was written in a “Morning, Evening” way, so there are major time skips in every chapter, which works very well with the main character’s alcoholic personality, because often she doesn’t remember what happens between the two, anyways. This also means the narration skips from present to past and back again constantly without being confusing, which does well for the pace. Overall, though, I was expecting something more unusual, and this one was pretty realistic- as far as murders go, I guess. This isn’t a bad thing, but it means the story itself is nothing uber special.

Three Stars

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

My Thoughts:

Ooooh Fairest… Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of the Lunar Chronicles, but Fairest definitely had a different feel than the other books in the series. Whereas most of the other books are fast-paced with several sideplots, Fairest had a singular, very dark plot. To me, it felt like drinking hot chocolate on a very cold day or taking a long nap while it’s raining. Fairest was everything I was in the mood for, and everything I wanted. Loved the characters, loved the plot, and loved how messed-up things were.

Five Stars

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts…

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

My Thoughts:

This one was actually my first Rainbow Rowell. It flowed smoothly, but I’m, again, not sure where all the hype is based. I did enjoy it, but it just wasn’t fantastic, you know? What I liked the best was the relationship between Georgie and the two men in her life: Seth and Neal. The difference between having a supportive presence in her life through Seth and the constant struggle with Neal really brought forth the question, “should she fight for this marriage?” The fact that this book could have several different endings and you’re not sure which route it’ll take until the end is something that keeps it interesting. But maybe I should just stick to my fantasy, because, like The Girl on the Train, this one just seemed a little too normal.