Review: Anybody But Him

Anybody But Him

by: Claire Baxter

Should you read this book? 

Answer: YES 

(if you want an entertaining read)

 

Here's why:

This novella was very entertaining. It is a sweet, honest romance that will make you fall in love. Personally, it took me awhile to get used to the Australian English, but after I got over that it was an enjoyable read. It made me laugh and cry, which in my opinion is the mark of a good book with a dynamic story. The main character Nicola Doyle was likable, I found her instantly relate-able with her terrible dating history and dislike of her hometown. When she is forced to move home to take car of her ageing parents Nicola must reconcile the awkward teenager she was with the elegant woman she has become. She reconnects with her childhood best friend and faces her former nemesis/childhood crush.

Claire Baxter does a great job of developing Nicola but all the auxiliary characters fall flat. This may be because it is only a novella and Claire did not have the time to develop the rest of the characters or it could be here style. I really enjoyed the sub-plots, so it would have been nice if they had been further developed. As this is the first book I have read by Claire Baxter, I am not sure. There were also several times in the novella when it jumps over a few weeks in Nicola's life, but it is not clear at first that a large chunk of time has passed.

That being said, I completely enjoyed this novella. I look forward to reading more by Claire Baxter and I suggest you do the same.

Overall, it was entertaining but for me the true judge of a book is if I would read it again. In the case of Anybody But Him, I would happily read it again in the future, which is why it has received a YES rating.

Next up on my reading list: Secret Bond by Gemma Halliday and Jennifer Fischetto

P.S. Please post your thoughts about this book in the comments below! I would love to know what you thought.

Review: Kiss the Bride

Kiss the Bride

A Tallwood Novella

by: Jody Wallace

Publishing July 29, 2013

 

Should you read this book? 

Answer: Maybe

 

Here's why:

This novella was not bad but it was not the best book I ever read. It was a short and entertaining. The story was told from two perspectives, that of Herman "Heck" Edward Heckley and Caroline Oakenfeld. Caroline is about to get married and her best friend Heck is her "maid" of honor. The story follows Heck as he tries to be the best maid of honor ever and Caroline as she prepares for a loveless, sexless marriage while making a last ditch effort to get Heck (her best friend, since forever) to FINALLY notice her. Jody Wallace manages to tell a full and complex story in a short format.

I typically don't mind when stories flip perspectives every chapter but in this particular novella I did not care for it. This stems from how Jody Wallace portrayed Heck, he was a caricature more than an character. He was a stereotyped construction worker who was not in touch with his feelings. Jody Wallace tried to throw in some tidbits about Heck to break the stereotypes (such as his love of romantic movies) but this did little to overcome the overwhelming stereotype. Jody could have also gone further to develop Caroline's character, which came across as flat for the majority of the book.

Overall, it was entertaining but for me the true judge of a book is if I would read it again. In the case of Kiss the Bride, I will never read it again which is why it only receives a Maybe rating. 

Next up on my reading list: Anybody But Him by Claire Baxter

P.S. Please post your thoughts about this book in the comments below! I would love to know what you thought.