The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech

Genre: Middle Grade

Series: No, Standalone

Source: ARC, from Book Expo America

Buy It: The Dolphin Bookshop (Shop Indie!




Humorous and heartfelt, this is a story of pairs— of Sybil and Nula (sisters who grew up together in Rook’s Orchard, Ireland) and Naomi and Lizzie (both orphans in present day Blackbird Tree, USA) and unraveling mysteries about family and identity. Naomi and Lizzie’s tragedies turn into a life filled with hope, as old misunderstandings and sorrows between Sybil and Nula give way to forgiveness and love. It is about unexpected gifts—the kindness of neighbors giving away their dogs to protect a little girl, of strangers fostering children, and of young people helping old and old helping young.

    As my sister was asking for help to organize her bookshelves, a blue-spined ARC caught my eye.  I read the title: The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech. It seemed pretty interesting, as the cover was very vague. I wondered why the cover didn't give away much about the story, so I chose to pick it up and started to read it. 

        I liked the characters in this book, but some where a little irritating. My favorite character was Nula because she seemed so caring and loving to Naomi.  I didn't really connect to the main character (Naomi).  My least favorite character was Lizzie because she seemed like such an annoying friend and a chatter box.  If she was my friend, I'm pretty sure that I would go mad.

     The writing was also a bit boring.  The story was dragged out and could've been told in ten chapters when there were fifty-seven chapters instead.  The writing wasn't vivid or all that interesting.    

      I didn't really like how the story turned out because it was not easy to follow.  Sharon Creech didn't really tie up the loose ends at the end of the story.  When I finished I still had unanswered questions like Who was the "Finn" boy? I think that there should've been an after story or epilogue because I was a little lost in the book. Overall, I didn't really enjoy The Great Unexpected.  I enjoyed Sharon Creech's other book Walk Two Moons but, The Great Unexpected was a disappointment.  I thought the story was a little useless because it didn't really keep my interest or really teach a good lesson.  Overall, this book just didn't do anything for me.  

Final Grade:

Flirting In Italian by Lauren Henderson

Genre: Young Adult-Contemporary

Source: Publisher 

Series: Yes, #1 in a series of companion novels

Buy It: The Dolphin Bookshop (Shop Indie!

Challenge: Free Reads


Four girls. One magical, and possibly dangerous Italian summer. Family mysteries, ancient castles, long hot nights of dancing under the stars . . . and, of course, plenty of gorgeous Italian boys!

     I requested Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson from Delacourte and was extremely pleased when that request was fulfilled.  I imagined it being the perfect summer read that I would really enjoy.  I was really disappointed when the book let me down.
     The first problem with Flirting in Italian is its misleading qualities.  The summary, title, and cover would lead the average reader to believe that it's about four girls who journey to Italy and have an amazing summer filled with Italian boys and romance.  Once you start reading, however, you are lead to believe that the book will be about Violet, who goes to Italy to solve the mystery of why an 18th century Italian painting features a girl who looks exactly like her.  I was actually more excited to read the story once the painting was brought into the equation but, the book didn't deliver.  The painting is first mentioned in the begining pages of the book but, isn't mentioned again till about 150 pages into the story.  The mystery behind the painting is really never solved at the end of the story which really upset me.  How could you have an unsolved mystery?  Another misleading aspect of this book is that it appears to be a Standalone novel but, you reach the end and it says that the story is continued in a "Companion Novel."  The next book is obviously not a companion because none of the loose ends in the book were tied up and the end.  The summary also says that the book is about 4 girls but, Violet is really the main focus of the entire book.
     Another pet peeve of mine in Flirting in Italian was the constant comparison of English boys to Italian boys.  Violet lives in England and is completely shocked at the behavior of the boys in Italy.  Apparently, English boys are rude and standoffish.  Her shock itself didn't bother me but, she was constantly saying "Oh but, the boys in England do this...." or "Italian boys are so much better because..." and it just became annoying.  Violet's character was also a bit annoying.  She was so fickle and had inconsistent personality traits.  Her mother was also really bothersome and unrealistic.
     One of the things I actually enjoyed about Flirting in Italian was the relationship between Luca and Violet.  It was such a roller coaster and I really enjoyed reading about it because it wasn't predictable.  I also liked all the Italian culture and the guys.  I've always found Italy fascinating and really would love to visit the country.
     Overall, Flirting in Italian was a bit of a disappointment.  I really wished I would've enjoyed it more but, it just didn't deliver.  It was a slow read that made me keep losing interest.  Lauren Henderson did do a great job with the romance and culture in the book, though.

Final Grade:

A Rasin in the Sun by Lorraine Handsberry

Genre: Drama (Play format)
Source: Library
Series: Standalone
Buy It: The Book Depository
Challenge: No

This groundbreaking play starred Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeill, Ruby Dee and Diana Sands in the Broadway production which opened in 1959. Set on Chicago's South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and matriarch Lena, called Mama. When her deceased husband's insurance money comes through, Mama dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans, however: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school.

The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. Sacrifice, trust and love among the Younger family and their heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. Winner of the NY Drama Critic's Award as Best Play of the Year, it has been hailed as a "pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre." by Newsweek and "a milestone in the American Theatre." by Ebony.

     eh.  The only reason I picked up this book was because I had to read it for school.  I don't think that I would have picked it up otherwise but, I started reading it with an open mind.  If it wasn't a school night, it probably would've taken me an hour and a half to read but, I wound up finishing it in the morning.  In my opinion, A Raisin in the Sun was one of those books that wasn't great, wasn't awful, and wasn't special-at all.  It was completely "eh."  I actually thought that it was a little annoying and I rushed through it so that I would be done with it.

Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey
Genre: Young Adult Dysotopian
Source: ARC from Publisher
Series: Yes, Planned Trilogy, Book One
Buy It: The Book Depository
Challenge: No

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her. 

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

     I'm going to start my review where I always start it: The Beginning.  When I first requested an ARC of Eve from Anna Carey (the author) I was very excited to read it and had heard from a few people that it was good.  I'm usually a big dysotopian fan so I was pretty excited to read it.  Since requesting it, I have read several dysotopias so I do think that that was part of the reason that I started losing interest before I even picked up the book.  I feel extremely bad about this so I do recommend that regardless of my review, you give Eve a shot because for me, it was just okay but, you might love it!
     I've started getting sick of dysotopias lately because I feel like each one is so cookie cutter.  In my recent opinion, every one of them is so trite; everything is always the same.  I feel like there is always a cruel government, someone trying to escape (most of the time its a female), and the rest of the story only differs a little.  I must say that Eve definitely resembled Dark Parties by Sara Grant.  I will definitely be reading some other genre for a while but, of course I will still be delivering any of the reviews I promised, regardless of genre.  Anyway, I was really looking for something different than the usual and Eve just wasn't what I was looking for.
     I usually don't say much about the cover of the books I read because of course, you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but, I do want to tell you what I thought about this one.  I love the color gradient and color scheme and I also love how Eve's hair is red because it contrasts with the colors in the background and makes Eve stand out from other girls.  The Bridge in the background is great because it has a lot of meaning in the story.  There were actually quite a few different bridges in the story and I love that the image has multiple meanings.  I really liked that the cover related to the story and was meaningful to the plot.  The only things that I dislike about the cover are very minor:  I feel like the girl looks very photoshopped and I wasn't really a fan of the title font.  The font would look really cool on something else but, I feel like it takes away from the meaning of the cover.
     I felt like Eve made a pretty good protagonist, although, just like the plot, she was very cookie cutter.  She reminded me of Neva from Dark Parties (Sara Grant), Cassia from Matched (Ally Condie), Amy from Across the Universe (Beth Revis), and a bunch of other dysotopian protagonists.  She was fooled by authority, found out the truth, and tried to escape the cruelty.  On the bright side, it was very interesting to hear what she was taught about men.  It was humorous to hear about all the books that her school twisted and actually reminded me about banned books week (which was last week) !  Caleb was a pretty good love interest but, there wasn't much about him that was very different from any other love interest.  I really liked Leif's character because I wasn't always sure what he would do next.  Leif was very unpredictable and I felt like even though he was a minor character, he had conflicting personalities that made the story a little more interesting.  I also really liked Benny and Silas because of their innocence.
     One of my biggest pet peeves throughout Eve was that I felt like every event was so abrupt.  There was no transitioning throughout the story.  For example, all of a sudden someone would be talking to Eve and I would be left wondering where in the world that person came from!  It really bothered me that I had to keep trying to figure out how things happened, so much that I would probably say that Eve had quite a few [minor] plot holes in it.
     Overall, Eve was just an okay book for me.  I feel bad to pick it apart but, I know that I have to be honest about the way I felt so that you [blog reader] can have an accurate review!  I do hope that you give Eve a try yourself because it was good, there just wasn't anything special about it.

Final Grade: