Review: Just Listen

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Love this book. Owen is one of my most-loved characters ever. I'd love to have another book with him! The sisters are good, too, but Owen stole the show for me. As always, Sarah Dessen is awesome. I wish that books like this had existed when I was a teenager. Even as as adult I enjoy her books.

In this book, Annabel finds herself friendless at the start of school and realizes how lonely she is. Owen, another outcast, helps her understand her life by understanding herself. By the end of the story readers discover the lives of each of the sisters and the secrets they have held. Excellent story and relatively happy.



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Review: The Face on the Milk Carton

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I stumbled across this in a search for another book and it reminded my of the old after school specials we'd watch on tv as kids. I listened to it and realized that it actually was one! As a 12 year old, I probably would have loved this book...and it's probably unfair of me to rate this as an adult since I was not the intended audience. Because of that, I'm giving it 3 stars - my 2 star adult rating with my 4 star kid rating.

The story is about a girl who recognizes herself on a milk carton and starts to remember her early years as another child. She struggles with the idea that she was kidnapped and worries about what her birth family will do when they find out. She wants to tell them but doesn't want to hurt the parents that raised her. Good story, lots of teenage angst and fear, just not my style...which, again, is appropriate since I'm not the target reader.



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Review: One Fifth Avenue

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I checked this out by mistake, to be honest. I've read The Devil Wears Prada and Lipstick Jungle and incorrectly thought this was by the author of Devil/Prada, not Lipstick Jungle. I started to read it and simply couldn't find enough interest to keep reading. I finally gave up and only realized when I looked up the author that I was blaming the wrong person.

I'm not a huge fan of chick lit but there are definitely stand-out authors in the field. I can read the vapid, easy to follow Sophie Kinsellas and enjoy the teen version with Sarah Dessen and I greatly enjoy them both. This book isn't chick lit, in my opinion. It was a waste of my time, however.



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Review: Home Safe

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Wow. I had no idea that Elizabeth Berg could write a book I would dislike this much. I forced myself to read a third of the book, convincing myself it would get better. It did not. Helen is so needy and self-absorbed that I wouldn't be able to tolerate her as a real person. Everything was so drawn out and tedious that it was all I could do to not flip the book, skimming paragraphs here and there.

I'm an Elizabeth Berg fan and I hated this book.



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Review: Five Little Pigs

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This earns 3 stars simply because I don't think any Agatha Christie can be less than that. The mystery is always excellent and a reader always has a chance to figure it out. This one was one of my least favorite, though. The story was dissatisfying - I wish I had a better word for it but I'm drawing a blank. It was simply too implausible for me.



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