booksandbraids's reviews
1863 reviews

This book was very good. It was the perfect combination of a ghost story and a murder mystery. 

My only issue with the book is the whole Heather situation. It seemed overly convenient that the girl currently living in her aunt’s old apartment is looking for a roommate just for the sake of company and also is super into true crime and they instantly became BFFs… When the book started that I was convinced I would hate the entire book unless there was some twist to help justify that stupid over convenience. Luckily the rest of the book was so good it was able to overcome that major shortcoming. 

Also, this book was definitely a book of the modern age because were almost too many strong independent problem solving female characters.

Soooo I started this book because it was for a book club. That and the fact that it was being turned into a musical! I tried to read it. It was a book written by a local woman about the local history of Athens where I was living. But it was such a busy time (preparing to move, family visiting to do some last minute things in Georgia before moving/helping us pack…) that I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down with this book to read it. It wasn’t enough to capture my attention. 

I did see the musical though. I am a HUGE musical person. To put it into perspective, I saw 8 shows within the 2 month span just before moving out of Georgia (a couple of Broadway tour productions at the Fox theatre in Atlanta… a couple of Athens community theatre shows… a town and town community theatre show… a Broadway tour production at the very theatre where Linnentown was performed, and a University of Georgia theatre show… in addition to Linnentown) so I do have a background to compare this production against. For being such a local production it was presented on a very large scale. It was performed in the venue that actually supports a Broadway season tour- much larger than you would expect for a local thing. And the sets were good enough to look professional. Buttttt the story was not meant to be a musical. While extremely interesting and a story worth telling and sharing and making known, it was too slow and not right for a musical at all. And the music was (I hate to say it) not good. And the acting (I really hate to say it) was also not good. But there were some very good singers! Overall it went on for too long. Probably because it was not well suited for musical… I think it would have made an amazing documentary. With interviews and images and them showing what the area looks like now. I think that would have been the proper medium to get the story out there.

I absolutely love Sara Goodman Confino. Her books never disappoint. Her characters are always the best. I’m so glad I stumbled across her first book when I did and randomly decided to give it a chance just because it was there. I love how this book brought in some characters from a previous book as well- a subtle connection that is fun surprise if you have read her previous books but not at all necessary to know to enjoy the story. 

My commentary from while reading:

I really love Elle Kennedy and her characters and writing and romances... but I am getting tired of having every single MMC be a playboy manwhore. On principle, I do not like manwhore MMCs. I find them trashy. I find the fact that they have all been with half the female student body disgusting. Sure, they change their ways for the FMC- the one person who they have ever felt the desire to settle down for- but I still find them trashy and gross. 

If I ignored his history and just focused on the current, this book was good enough. But I am never able to truly love a MMC as trashy as Dean. Sorry, Dean. 

Yet another great Jane Austen! I think it is my second favorite (that I have read so far) after Emma

1. Emma
2. Persuasion
3. Sense and Sensibility
4. Pride and Prejudice (although I had to read P&P for school, so that probably negatively influenced my opinion so I should probably reread it)

Movie reviews…
1995 Adaption (watched 7/26/22)- they did a good job with this one. My only complaint is that it is from the 90s so it looks old. 

2022 Adaptation (watched 7/27/22)- the cast, costumes, and filming locations/sets were so much nicer but they destroyed it by changing the story a bit. I didn’t like the changes they made. And they changed Anne’s personality. If only they had taken the same exact screenplay from 1995 and just redid it with the modern filming (better costumes, locations, etc). I will say I really enjoyed all of the casting/characters other than Anne. I don’t mind who they selected to play Anne, but they changed her personality. And the whole “talking into the camera thing” just made me think of Enola Holmes which Netflix also produced not too long ago— it felt like they were just reusing that same idea/method/style.

I spent 90% of this book thinking it was the worst book in the world.

What sort of idiots would not immediately go to the police to report a murderer?! I was completely prepared to give it half a star and trash it. But then that twist at the end... I did NOT see that coming. That brings everything else into a whole new light. That was great.

I really liked this glimpse into Filip’s life after The Expanse ended. I really want to hear more about him on this planet. It could be a full book. Why can’t it be a full book?!?