From New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson comes Yours, Mine, and Ours, the next hilarious installment in her laugh-out-loud trilogy featuring an unconventional FBI agent who finds love in the most unexpected places It's Christmas season, a holiday Cadence adores. Her relationship with Patrick has been progressing nicely, and they are beginning to wonder if it might be time to bring things to the next level...unprecedented in Cadence's life. That is until she meets the completely dreamy Dr. Max Gallo and he throws Cadence and her sisters for a tailspin.
And if the threat of Dr. McDreamy weren't enough there is a new BOFFO employee, Emma Jan Thyme, whose reputation precedes her. She has a doctorate from Harvard, speaks seven languages, and is a remarkable actress. But she's harboring a secret of her own.
In addition to adjusting to a new co-worker's foibles, shopping for her Secret Santa, and trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for Patrick, a new serial killer appears to have blown into town. For four Junes in a row perfectly ordinary fourteen year olds have disappeared. The only things the victims have in common are their ordinariness...and it's up to Cadence to figure out the case before another innocent teen dies.
MaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
I'm not sure words can summarize how offensive the entirety of this book was. I tried to find any evidence that this author got consent from the real Stinney family to use their name like this, but unfortunately, I didn't.
I'm not entirely sure what went wrong here. Does the author not realize that George Stinney is a legitimate historical child who was murdered by the state? This is not an old wive's tale, this was a child's life - and one of the most upsetting cases of brutality against a black individual in American history. The decision to villainize his surviving family by making them assassins of white youths was, in my opinion, a revolting plot choice. Did you manage to restore your mental harmony about racism by rationalizing that black people would do worse things? Do you want us to think that George Stinney was guilty all along? I cannot for the life of me comprehend how this was greenlit, or why this idea was even conceived.
The author also failed to research even the most basic background information. The detectives, using their amazing thought power, suggest maybe the killer could be a DIFFERENT race than the victims. Unlike the traditional serial killers that murder their own race, like... Jeffrey Dahmer? Who very famously targeted black victims? The author seemed hell-bent on nullifying the idea that undeserved tragedy should befall POC people.
The descriptions of the non-white characters here also rubbed me the wrong way. On page 157 we meet an IT guy, "With his dark skin, dark eyes, and old fashioned horn-rimmed glasses, he looked like a nerd out of the 1950s, one who wasn't allowed to use the bathroom for white people." We also have a character, unprompted, call herself a "proud Black gal with the stereotypical awesome ass."
Maybe it isn't my place to categorize if all these examples are inherently racist as a white person, but it sure isn't MaryJanice Davidson's place to write something so gross either. There was zero need to use a real child for your weird assassin fantasy, and it was ridiculous to try.
A Review of Yours, Mine and Ours written by MaryJanice Davidson
Disclaimer I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This is the Second book in a Trilogy and I have not read the first book called Me, Myself, and Why? but after reading this book I am working towards reading the first at some time in the distant future.
This is the story of Bureau of False Flag Ops (BOFFO) Agent Cadence Jones , her two sisters Shiro Jones and Adrienne Jones , her partner George Pinkman , the new Agent Emma Jan Thyme and their chase after a serial killer before another teenager winds up dead. Now add in Cadence Jones boyfriend Patrick Flannery who is dating all three sisters and you have an interesting story to experience.
I thought this ( I am not telling what this is as you should go buy the book) was a clever way to take an idea we have seen play out in other books , movies and television of the agent and her partner chasing down the bad guy before someone else dies and add a great twist to it.
The story was good, the plotting was good, and most of the characters felt three dimensional. Despite being slightly confused at the start when there were the chapter switches which I did figure out relatively swiftly as that of the viewpoints of the sisters or scene changes the story flowed well. A minor flaw for me though was they were too reactive not active in parts of the story requiring help from an unexpected source to start to unravel who the serial killer actually is.
At the end it comes down to two things "Would I recommend this book to the people I know or don't know? " and "Did I find enjoyment in reading the story?"
The answers are Yes I would tell people to go read this book and Yes I did find enjoyment in reading this book.
That being said, I had a REALLY hard time getting into this. The main character is actually 3 people...she has multiple personality disorder. It took a while for me to figure out which character was the one speaking. By the end, I felt really bad for Shiro (one of the personalities) cause she was in love with Max, but was moving in with Patrick cause he was Cadence's boyfriend and Cadence is the dominant personality.
About half way through, the mystery picked up and got interesting. I was totally blown away by how that turned out. Not at all what I expected.
All in all, 2.5 stars for me cause it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm sure it would be great for other readers. And honestly, this won't stop me from reading anything else by this author.
This book was laugh out loud funny. When the book description said that Candace was an unconventional FBI agent, I wasnt expecting her to have multiple personalities! There were many funny moments throughout the course of the book as a result as Candace and her "sisters" are always getting into trouble
I received this book as an ARC from Good Reads First Reads. If I had been shopping in a bookstore, I can say that this book probably would not have been one I would have picked up. I did not like the cover design and it is categorized in the "romance" section. However, the content was extremely entertaining and made for a quick and enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I wasn't in love with this. The Cadance/Shiro/Adrienne characters didn't seem as believable this time. George was as obnoxiously endearing as I remember, and he's still my favorite character. The first 72% of this book was a chore. It seemed like more time was spent re-introducing the multiple personalities than actually building the plot. The ending was rushed but satisfying. I found myself most interested in the "Betcha didn't know" factoids in the addendum. I appreciate that the author is branching out, trying different writing styles, and breaking out of the paranormal gig. But on the other hand, if it ain't broke....
The Good Crazy as Hell... O. M. G. I am still shocked, days later, by Yours, Mine, and Ours. I don't know how Davidson can have a mind like that and create such brilliance and live in the normal world. Where has she been all my life? Sure, I read her Undead series and I love it, but this new BOFFO series goes beyond what is normal. It's crazy as hell and I love it! Sidenote: I did not read the first book of this series but this book can easily stand alone. I had no trouble figuring out what was going on. I can guarantee you that I will be buying the first book very soon.
Set a Thief to Catch a Thief... Cadence is special. She is kind of a package deal. A 3-in-1 sort of thing. She's not only peaceful Cadence, she's also kick-ass Shiro and crazy Adrienne. Oh and she's also a FBI agent for the Bureau of False Flag Ops division. Why would the FBI hire a girl with Multiple Personality Disorder to help them catch bad guys? Yeah, good question. They also have sociopaths and other people with psychological quirks working for them. It's that whole "set a thief to catch a thief" idea. Who knows more about a sociopath serial killer than a real live sociopath...who works for the FBI? Yeah, it's best not to think about it too much because the possibilities are pretty frightening.
Anyway, Cadence's life is going pretty good. She has an awesome boyfriend and her sociopathic partner George hasn't tried to kill her yet. But then this serial killer ruins everything by killing teen boys the same time every year. And it's Cadence's job to figure out the secrets behind this case that is beyond out of the ordinary.
No, You Have Not Lost Your Mind...Yet I know, I know. You read the concept of this series and you shake your head and read again because you know that you must have read wrong. Oh no, as a witness to the insanity, I can tell you right now that this book is a hundred percent real. And it is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. But I still can't get my head around it. How can Davidson write about such a far-fetched concept and make it so realistic and interesting? I think it should be illegal to be that brilliant. I almost want to be mad at her for writing something I wish I could have thought of. Warning: when you read this book, you might go a little insane. But hey, sanity is overrated anyways.
Three-in-one... Cadence/Shiro/Adrienne were simply amazing. Cadence is somewhat the main personality. She is sweet and a little timid compared to her "sisters." But she actually loves her sisters and all their oddities. She doesn't bitch about having to share her body with others, she takes it in stride...most of the time. Shiro is pretty much all around badass. She helps Cadence deal with things when it gets rough. She is her sisters' protector of sorts. And she likes guns. Yaaay. Shiro has taught me a lot about guns and it has made my life that much better. Stop looking at me that way, guns are awesome and you know it. If the protagonist I am reading about isn't shooting something, it just isn't the same. Then we have Adrienne. She is almost like a petulant child that likes oatmeal cookies and punching people. Good times. She is the fighter of the bunch because she pretty much has no limits.
Who Knew Sociopathy Could Be So Fun... George is my new hero. Sure, he's a sociopath, but he is a hilarious sociopath. And in the end, isn't that all that matters? Sure, he has no true emotions or feelings except for himself but that's what makes him awesomesauce. He is the ultimate antihero. He gives Cadence a hard time but is a little more cautious around Shiro because she will kick his ass. I don't think he likes Adrienne, but that's just him overacting. All she did was beat him up a little. He's just being oversensitive.
Love and Other Drugs... Then we have Patrick, the baker boyfriend who makes a mean pie. He is too freakin' adorable. He actually loves everything about Cadence, her sisters and all. He would do anything for them. He is almost too perfect which makes me a little suspicious, but for now, who the hell cares. He's my new book boyfriend and that's all there is to it. But the only problem is that this new Dr. Max Gallo has caught the attention of Shiro, which is just awkward since her sister is dating Patrick and they share the same body. Yeah, and you thought you had problems?
There are a few other unique and interesting characters but I simply can't mention them all. Let me just say, Davidson is a mastermind when it comes to creating one-of-a-kind characters that all leave an impression.
Character Driven... The story was very well done. I loved the mystery and watching "the girls" work it out slowly but surely. I was genuinely surprised by the twists and turns of the plot. The relationships between all the characters were actually realistic and felt authentic. This book is extremely character driven. You easily get caught up in their lives and how they work together. I'll be very interested to see what comes next because Davidson doesn't seem to hold anything back.
The Bad I loved this book so much that even though it wasn't perfect, I couldn't imagine giving it less than 5 stars. But I do want to mention the couple things that bothered me.
I felt like there could have been a little more action. I loved the ramblings of the protagonist but some of them went on for pages and it could get a bit much. Some of the lucid conversations between the characters confused me a bit. I had to read a couple pages over to understand what they were talking about.
The Snuggly Though this is not a romance novel, there was a romance going on that I found just too damn delectable. Patrick is the most caring, understanding, and lovable man ever. He accepts and loves all of Cadence, even the two other people who live in her head. He almost makes Multiple Personality Disorder seem normal because it doesn't phase him. Then we have Max Gallo who has made quite an impression on Shiro. I gotta admit, there is something about Max that almost makes me wish Patrick wasn't in the picture. Almost. Expect some sexual tension and some kissing and heavy petting. Nothing explicit though.
Overall I don't think I can ever do this book justice with my review. I could go on and on but I know people will yell at me if I write a research paper sized review. But, dear God, is the temptation to do so high. This is another one of those fun books. You will actually have fun reading Yours, Mine, and Ours. I laughed out loud so many times I was asked to leave the house because I could be heard through my bedroom walls. To say my laugh is annoyingly loud is being kind. But to get back to what matters, Davidson has composed something I have never seen before. The concept is ridiculous but it works so well. I have to give Davidson major props.
However, do I think this book is for everyone? No. I think it takes a person with a bit of oddity, someone who likes unconventional thinking and writing to really appreciate this book. But I think everyone should at least give it a try because not many books blow my mind but Yours, Mine, and Ours blew like a category five hurricane. Highly Recommended. Also check back soon for my interview with Davidson. You will not want to miss it. It was one of the funniest interviews I have ever done.
Quotes (lots of quotes because I loved this book so much and couldn't just choose one or two) Karen looked at Agent Thyme. "It's the same Pinkman. He saved three of the girls and killed all the bad guys. Um. Accidentally."
"Accidentally?" Emma Jan asked, arching dark brows.
"They fell."
"On what?'
"Three of George's (Pinkman) hollow points," Karen admitted. ~~~
"Cancel my lunch plans, I'm eating your pie. Oh, awesome. I can't believe I got to say that to your face after all this time."
"I've got three words for you, George," I said sweetly.
"Merry Christmas, baby?" he guessed, sticking a finger into the delicate meringue and scooping some up for a taste. "I want you? What a stud? Please bang me? Little Debbie blows?"
"Splenda Sugar Blend."
"What? F#ck!" He shook his finger like it had burst into flames and he was trying to wave it out. "Get it off, get it off, get it off off off!" Then he thrust the pie at me and sprinted toward the men's room.
After a long, thoughtful moment, Emma Jan said, "It's really weird around here. Are there forks?" ~~~
One of their many atrocities was kidnapping George, trussing him up like a roast ready for a slow cooker, and bundling him into a closet for hours and hours and hours and hours.
Even now, months later, I wasn't sure if George had gotten mega-pissed because of the trussing/stuffing thing, or because the ThreeFer Killers had framed him, or because he deliberately pooped in his pants to provide us with a clue to his whereabouts, and no one noticed. (We can be a pretty self-absorbed bunch. Also, there were all sorts of weird smells on the floor, all the time, so what was one more?) ~~~
Sociopaths were commonly believed to have indulged in three particular behaviors as kids: they liked to torture animals, they liked to set fires, and they wet their beds for years, long past the age of five.
Suddenly, the three of us were very careful not to make eye contact with George.
"I can read all of your minds, you worthless jerks," he sighed. "Hey, the dog attacked me, okay?
Fans of MJD will like this one for it's character banter, over the top pratfalls and how she tackles scary things like serial killers with a breeze of fun and lightheartedness. It had been a while since I'd read the first book in this series, but MJD peppers in enough references to remind readers of what they need to know and to let first time readers learn what they need on the go. With MJD series you really do need to read them in order as your overall understanding of a character's overall depth gets stronger as the series goes on.
Sometimes it was hard to tell if Cadence or Shiro was narrating (especially in the second half of the book) and I think that might be the point. Shiro and Adrienne are still Cadence in a way even when they are "driving the body." And with their therapist pushing for integration there may be some unconscious shift towards that. And the argument that Shiro and Cadence are the most alike could also be made.
Could this one be read by itself as a stand alone? Maybe. The mystery is very self contained but if you're an MJD fan you'll probably want to read the whole series and reading this book first would totally spoil the entire plot of the first book for you. If you recalled that not all of the killers in the first book were caught (I hadn't) and were hoping for more resolution then you're out of luck. This one moves the characters forward without making any headway on the escaped killers of the first book.
I used to love Davidson, but it had been years since I picked up and read one of her books, so as I was reading the erratic behavior of our main protagonist(s) I had to wonder if it was me who changed, or the writing. Most of the novel seemed to just be people yelling at each other, and while I love a novel that is more conversation than description (no really, I do!) this felt like it was conversation that went nowhere for far too long before a point was made. Again, this could just be me, but after I read this I just didn't come away loving her the way I did other novels.
I did not realize this book was a part of series, maybe if I had read the first book prior to this one I would have enjoyed it more. As it stands this book was an okay read for me- there were parts that were really interesting but the changing narrative point of view sometimes made me loose the energy of the story.
In all honesty I thought the authors notes at the beginning were some of the best I ever read and gave the book the benefit of the doubt for that. Would read the next book in the series if i randomly see it at the library but im not seeking it out.
Really loved this book. Didn't realize it was the second book in a trilogy until I was about halfway through, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. Easy read, entertaining, and made me laugh out loud.
Everybody's favorite FBI agent with multiple personalities is back and on the case, trying to solve the June Boy murders. She has her baker boyfriends and a doctor that she is having listy feelings towards. Each personality has her own agenda, but together, they crack the case.
This series is hilarious! I could not put down. Plus there is a bonus of a mystery with it and the multiple personalities is just a bonus!! Read it you won’t regret it!
Read with caution if you have not finished Me, Myself, and Why.
First sentence: "--doing in here?" I blinked at the woman across from me.
The sequel to Me, Myself and Why? finds Cadence, Shiro, and Adrienne still working at BOFFO. They are still with Patrick and still trying to merge into one personality (although they are still unsure they want that). They find themselves faced with another serial killer and must all work together, along with their BOFFO coworkers, to track the monster down. The case turns out to be something no one expected.
This book was a quick and fun read, but I did not like it as much as the first one. First of all, I think Davidson dropped the ball with the distinctive voices of the "sisters." It got difficult around the middle of the book to tell the difference between Shiro and Cadence, where in the first book it was always clear. Secondly, I did not like the Max Gallo storyline at all. The case also bothered me. I like a good mystery where there are hints to what the answer is or who the bad guy is throughout the book, not where the answer comes completely out of left field 3/4 of the way through the book and the characters have to explain to you what just happened instead of you having the "oh, yeah that makes sense" moment when everything finally comes together. The solution of this case made me go, "Huh? Where did that come from?" I did like the new character, Emma Jan, and hope to see more of her. I also like how Cadence/Shiro/Adrienne seem to be growing towards reintegration. It's always good to see character growth.
Even with the problems I had with this book, I did like catching up with all the characters from the last book. I would recommend people who have enjoyed Me, Myself, and Why? to pick this one up, just be apprised that it is not as good as the first. It is however, interesting and fun.
Paranormal Scavenger Hunt: Secret Government Agency
There are two authors I can think of who remain hilarious even as they write over a dozen books, Janet Evanovich and MaryJanice Davidson. Recently I was delighted to discover that Ms. Davidson had written a sequel to her book, Me, Myself, and I, a delightful novel about an FBI agent who struggles with D.I.D. Not not damsel in distress symptoms, but dissociative identity disorder (commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder). I gleefully picked up Yours, Mine and Ours from the library, and setting aside the five other books I was currently trying to read, I stayed up way too late and finished it in three days.
Candace works for a special division of the FBI who reasons that the best way to catch a sociopath is a sociopath. To say Candace leads an unusual life, is probably the understatement of the year. In Yours, Mine and Ours, Candace and her team are trying to catch the killer of 14 year old white boys. The killer only kills one boy each summer and the dots are slowly starting to connect. Meanwhile, Candace is used to relying on her “sisters”, as she calls her other personalities, when confrontation comes her way, but Shiro is not popping to the front as quickly as she used to and Candace is having to actually deal with some of her own problems.
As the story progressed and the inevitable corners were turned and the plot lines twisted, I stumbled behind never knowing where I was heading for a second. And I loved it. It isn’t easy for me to find a plot twist I don’t see coming, or an ending I haven’t guess, but Ms. Davidson led me on a merry goose chase and it was glorious. This story elicited many emotions and I mulled over many questions Ms. Davidson asks, without ever really asking, long after I had finished reading the printed pages.
I received an ARC of this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program!
First, let me say, I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I am. I'm guilty of judging a book by it's cover in this case.
I made the wrong assumption that this would be a mushy love story, even though the summary makes no suggestion to it. I was so wrong and I'd like to extend my apologies to the author and the future readers for my wicked assumptions.
I'm still reading, but I had to stop in and say that I haven't laughed so much from reading in a long time. I had forgotten how good it felt to read something refreshingly amusing even if the plot is supposed to be somber.
Cadence (love the name, by the way) and her "sisters" sometimes leave me baffled by the quick switches between them, but I've adjusted to it and now welcome the changes in character.
George is hilarious. I enjoy his little tantrums and the banter between him, Cadence and company, and Emma Jan is extremely entertaining.
I'll stop here. The rest of my review will appear when I've completed the book.
*UPDATE*
Upon finishing, I just have to say I love George.
This book has elements I'd never expect that I'd enjoy in a read. It's fun, odd, and spontaneous. I've said what I enjoyed most about the book above, but I have to say that although I didn't read the first book, I diddn't feel as if I needed to. This tells enough about what we don't know without being tedious.
If you're looking for an acid trip through a fictional FBI agency full of dysfunctional agents, this is for you. I recommend it and guarantee you won't be bored. The author even gives you some fun little facts in the end.
I thought that I had already written a review for this book yet it's not here. So either I did not push save or my other persona dropped the ball. This is the second book in the Candence Jones series. So at this point we all know that Candance is a an FBI agent working in a special division that employs crazies. Candece who is my birthday buddy has multiple personalities. Herself the goodie two shoes virgin that is overly helpful and apologethic, Shiro the no nonsense sister who doesn't take shit from anyone, and Andrienne who is just balls to the wall crazy but apprently has a place in her heart for dogs. I liked that in this book we spent more time with Shiro. Anyone who has every researched MPD (ME) knows that a person creates these personalities to learn how to deal with the rollercoaster that life throws us as well as processing the horrors from their past. However Candence is in the process of trying to let go of these personalities and become one person. I feel like Shiro showed a lot of Candence qualities in this book while Candence got mad like Adrienne and spoke her mind like Shiro without having to black out and switch. All of this was psychologically fasinating despite the fact that it was a work of fiction. I'm not sure how I feel about the introduction of the new guy or the neediness of of her current love interest. I like the dynamic of Candence and her co-workers and the crime solving so much that I wish MJD had waited to introduce topics such as sex, commitment, and emotions. With that being said I really like the series. But am having a hard time taking it too serious.
Cadence has a multiple personality disorder and it has made her very attractive to the special unit of the FBI, Bureau of False Flag Ops division. Not only is Cadence in her body, but so is Adrienne and Shiro. They think of one another as sisters and they get along fairly well.
Cadence has a new partner, George, who has his own issues. However, it’s only George in his body.They get along fairly well, but then, Cadence is a pretty easygoing woman who tolerates a lot of things and just takes things in stride.Her boyfriend, Patrick, gets along with all of the sisters, but loves Cadence. However,when Shiro catches the eye of a doctor, things get a bit awkward.
Adrienne is what I would describe as the baby.She does what she wants with little thought for the consequences.Shiro, on the other hand, is the tough one.She has a knack for getting her target and will do anything to protect her sisters.
Add into the eclectic mix a serial killer who’sbeen killing young, teenage boys at the same time each year.Cadence and George must try and figure out who it is and apprehend him before he kills anyone else.With Shiro and Adrienne trying to help, the twists, turns and humor will keep you entertained.With suspense, humor and best-selling MaryJane Davidson’s phenomenal and original writing, YOURS, MINE, OURS is a wonderful addition to any library!
Perhaps I should have my head examined for buying this book, after all I remembered how much I disliked the first one in this trilogy ( I have a feeling it may be more than three books though). But I decided what the heck, how bad can it be? Well I can safely say it is not as bad as the first book; we at least know what we are in for character wise. On the other hand this is almost a worse book, because we get to spend more time within Candice's other selves and we find out that Shiro is not as in love with Patrick as you would think, we get a new and supremely annoying employee at BOFFO, we just get a whole lot of stuff sort of a mish-mosh that is thrown together to create one fairly confusing book.
Half the time I had no clue why what was going on WAS going on (I hope you know what I mean). There are some issues I found with time-lapse that wasn't explained to my satisfaction. I just think that with 3 personalities, 2 'boyfriends' (or the possibility of 2) and new employee and a new case to add while the old one from the last book still seems to be active is just too darn much. I think was too much for Ms Davidson to write, and it just may be too difficult for any of her fans to read.
TAKE THIS OUT FROM THE LIBRARY AND SAVE YOUR 12 DOLLARS FOR THE KINDLE EDITION
this book wasnt as strong as the first of the series. cadence was so clueless it was annoying, and the 3 distinct voices of the first book were very much blurred here. well, the cadence/shiro voices; adrienne's was still pretty distinct, but she only made about 3 appearances. sometimes i feel like the d.i.d. was a bit of a cop out. rather than cadence having any sort of brain or spine, she seemed only to exist to introduce scenes before shiro took control and actually used reason and/or moved the plot along. not sure if the author is moving toward reintegration in the 3rd book and intended to blur the characteristics or what. i just feel like the editor here really didnt do a good job. at one point they are talking about the 3fer triplets from the first book, and two of the triplets (cadence's former coworker as well as the sister) are dead. not one chapter later a letter arrives for cadence/shiro/adrienne signed "two of the 3fer"? and then they cant decide what to name the killer in this story...jbj or jbk or jbk killer? really just needs another rewrite to me. i did enjoy george again, and adrienne made me laugh with her brief scenes. a cute, short read, but not as good as the first.
This book started out so well and then it kinda ended flat. It seemed like Cadence/Shiro did a lot of running around after nothing and Adrienne hardly made an appearance at all. Which I guess is good for anyone near Adrienne but bad for readers because she makes it fun. I am not sure what to make of New Girl but I do like the yummy Dr. Gallo. Will be interesting to see if he pops up in the next book (is there going to be a next book?)
Overall the action/mystery in this book was limited for me. And I agree with what Cadence said near the end, that BOFFO didn't seem to solve anything, they got a lot of help from others to catch the killer. And I also was getting distracted because the author would refer to the killings as JBJ (June Boys Job killing) and the killer as JBK (June Boys Killer I assume) but then it started to be listed as JBK killer...so June Boys Killer killer? That started to bug me enough I was losing interest in what was happening in the story.
I do love Cadence and Shiro grew on me a lot in this book. I will read the next if I see Dr. Gallo will make an appearance and give Baker Boy a run for his money in the affections of the three leading ladies.
Initially, I didn't think I would finish this book. I had not read the first book in the series, so I read reviews about the first book on Goodreads before I understood that the premise of the book is that Cadence has Multiple Personality Disorder, and the book fluctuates between her 3 different personalities (or "sisters" as she calls them). I gave myself until page 50, and if the book didn't get any better, I was going to put it down. Fortunately, it did get better, and I actually enjoyed the story once I got into it. I did have to overlook some things that made me roll my eyes, but if you look past those things, it is an entertaining read.
Afterthought: I noticed on the summary of the book that this story takes place during Christmas, and Cadence is juggling Christmas shopping for her boyfriend and Secret Santa. However, in the book, none of that is ever brought up. Not that I wanted to read about her Christmas shopping or anything, it is just very random to mention it, but the actual story has none of that in it.
I loved reading this one more than the original with one exception: The Patrick/Max angle. I'm not really sure how you could tie this up with just one more book, although I'm not against Shiro being in love with someone Cadence isn't. I just don't see the ends tying up in one more installment. (Also, the love subplot didn't work as well. The guys were there but things felt off in that department.)
I did like the trick of the 'sisters' starting to merge at the end. Instead of cutting away entirely for chapters, one voice would pop up as a thought instead of simply taking over, so I'm not sure people complaining about the voices not being as distinct have a leg to stand on here. I'm thinking it was intentional.
Case wise, it was little left field but not entirely unexpected that that would be the case since there weren't a lot of characters who could have been the villain. It kind of HAD to be a "surprise!" killer, and since the reasoning made sense, I went with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I encountered MJD a few years ago, laughing my way through Undead and Unwed. Betsy, Queen of the Dead is the most unlikely vampire I've ever met--shallow, vapid, whiny, and obsessed with footwear. I have been repeatedly delighted by her cast of oddball characters and imaginative settings.
MJD fans will not be disappointed by Me, Myself, and Why? and it sequel, Yours, Mine, and Ours. Once again MJD delivers off-the-wall characters, rapid-fire dialogue, and her general trademark insanity. These two books are a bit more serious than her usual, however; some reviewers have found them a bit of a downer since serial killers are hardly usual topics for humor-fiction. This may be off-putting to some, but I found both books well worth the read and worth a re-read.
You end up caring about the characters and want to learn what happens next with them.