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So Say the Waiters #1
So Say the Waiters, Book 1: Episodes 1-5
In his early 30s, Henry is hired by a successful software developer and college friend who has created kidnApp, a cell phone app and social network that allows people to kidnap each other for fun. The app is growing fast and making more and more money. His friend Steven (who created kidnApp), wants to groom Henry as the Mid-Atlantic regional manager with part ownership of the company, but he will need to become a seasoned kidnApper first. Steve’s pitch to Henry involves a weekend trip to LA where he shows him how extravagant his life has become. The trouble is, Henry is stuck in his conservative job, suffering from post-fiancée breakup depression, and he is too timid to be a good kidnApper. But this is an opportunity he cannot refuse.
Danielle (Dani) Hardly - an aimless bartender in her mid-20s - working at a rundown nightclub. She is barely scraping by, but she is one of the first users of kidnApp in the city. She uses the app as an escape from the increasing difficult world around her, often times pushing the limits of the experience. During a botched kidnApping, she is rescued by newly recruited Henry – someone she has nothing in common with until Henry opens up to her about his less than mediocre kidnapping skills.
Danielle (Dani) Hardly - an aimless bartender in her mid-20s - working at a rundown nightclub. She is barely scraping by, but she is one of the first users of kidnApp in the city. She uses the app as an escape from the increasing difficult world around her, often times pushing the limits of the experience. During a botched kidnApping, she is rescued by newly recruited Henry – someone she has nothing in common with until Henry opens up to her about his less than mediocre kidnapping skills.
293 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
14 people are currently reading
969 people want to read
About the author
Justin Sirois
35 books80 followersI'm a novelist and game maker. I own Severed Books, based in Baltimore, MD.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
April 6, 2013
I wonder if it speaks more to the talents of Sirois as a writer or how strange we've gotten as a culture that something as bizarre as this seems so believable. Other than the fact that their liability insurance premiums would exceed to GNP of Paraguay, I could totally see this app taking off. Dear god, I hope it's just because Sirois got be to believe it and not because we are really that decadent. Regardless, this is a damn fine book with or without the strangeness. The strangeness just makes it better.
October 24, 2013
I'm still a little unsure about this book. The premise is indeed unique. It intrigued me. However, I wasn't overwhelmed by any character. Henry annoyed me to no end. And Dani needs to soften up a little. Jess and Uly were introduced way too late. In my opinion, that should have been concurrent with Henry and Dani consistently.
The glaring typos and grammatical errors were distracting. In fact, knobs was misspelled so often I had to look up to see if it actually supposed to be nobs when referring to a guitar pedal. That being said, I may still read book 2.
The glaring typos and grammatical errors were distracting. In fact, knobs was misspelled so often I had to look up to see if it actually supposed to be nobs when referring to a guitar pedal. That being said, I may still read book 2.
November 29, 2012
I hold onto a few shards of what my own kidnap might be... I spend more time on what my safe word will be and less on what will happen to my life while I'm gone. Maybe I don't care. Sirois wonderfully composes a brisk, character-driven narrative made to feel every bit like the inevitable movie it'll become. The richest part of it all is the high-concept "would-be" App itself, kidnApp. It's so clever, you'll find it all too easy to dream up your own kidnap scenarios.
November 4, 2012
Eating episodes like candy and looking forward to the next one. ;)
January 29, 2018
So Say the Waiters has been on my radar for years, but only now have I tracked it down and read it. It's been such a long wait that I can honestly no longer recall just what it was about this book that initially got me to put it on my to be read pile - but whatever it was, I was happy to go into the book with no clear notion of what to expect. The ignorance allowed me to approach this book without preconceived notions, and man, was it a fun ride that I was in for.
The basic premise of his book, that there is an app called KidnApp that allows you to be kidnapped within 48 hours of submitting an application, is one that seems eerily plausible. It's just to the side of what currently exists, but the ramifications for people peering into your life, the lack of privacy, etc. all have a nice parallel in day to day life. The book reads like a more updated Fight Club, but minus the misogyny. While the book has typos that need to be brushed up and the writing might do with a once-over the seeds of something great are all there - and the concept alone makes finishing the trilogy (?) worthwhile in my book.
I eagerly look forward to what's done next with this property. It'd make a killer television show, and I'm glad it's been optioned. The concept, the characters, the setting... it's all there and ready to be something great.
The basic premise of his book, that there is an app called KidnApp that allows you to be kidnapped within 48 hours of submitting an application, is one that seems eerily plausible. It's just to the side of what currently exists, but the ramifications for people peering into your life, the lack of privacy, etc. all have a nice parallel in day to day life. The book reads like a more updated Fight Club, but minus the misogyny. While the book has typos that need to be brushed up and the writing might do with a once-over the seeds of something great are all there - and the concept alone makes finishing the trilogy (?) worthwhile in my book.
I eagerly look forward to what's done next with this property. It'd make a killer television show, and I'm glad it's been optioned. The concept, the characters, the setting... it's all there and ready to be something great.
December 4, 2012
I met the author when he talked about _So say the waiters_ at a local bookstore. I bought a copy and finished it in one sitting, it felt like binge-reading but I really could not put it down! It is phenomenal! Sirois has created a constellation of characters that are engaging and feel real, from Dani and Henry to Uly and even Barnstormer.
As a Baltimorean, I enjoyed playing "guess the location" with the places in the book. Even more, I appreciated that Sirois included a broad cross-section of places and people, from the (not) hipster bartender to the whitebread suburban programmer to the westside black teen who rides dirt bikes (and writes poetry). The book offered a window into their lives, and now that I've finished it, I keep wondering what they are doing now, and what the next kidnApp adventure will be.
I can't wait for the next book in the series, and the next one, and the next one!
As a Baltimorean, I enjoyed playing "guess the location" with the places in the book. Even more, I appreciated that Sirois included a broad cross-section of places and people, from the (not) hipster bartender to the whitebread suburban programmer to the westside black teen who rides dirt bikes (and writes poetry). The book offered a window into their lives, and now that I've finished it, I keep wondering what they are doing now, and what the next kidnApp adventure will be.
I can't wait for the next book in the series, and the next one, and the next one!
July 19, 2025
This is a charge-ahead novel. Right away, you're grabbed. The book centers on a popular app which allows users to arrange for a legal, and more-or-less voluntary kidnapping, a service around which all of the characters orbit. All of them need something and all are nourished, in some way, by this app and by the hope it offers. Henry, the bummed-out, near-suicidal programmer, needs something to fill the void left by his wife. Dani, the tattooed, tough-as-nails bartender, needs to try to avoid spinning herself out of control. The novel pushes until the orbits get smaller and, ultimately, disappear.
Sirois has set this fast-paced story in a real place, a real Baltimore. You can feel the burn of the whiskey, the thug lurking around the corner, see the awkward lunches with coworkers who have nothing in common. I tore through it.
Sirois has set this fast-paced story in a real place, a real Baltimore. You can feel the burn of the whiskey, the thug lurking around the corner, see the awkward lunches with coworkers who have nothing in common. I tore through it.
September 26, 2014
Really loved this book, but it is not easy to classify. For those who know me, it is NOT romance, PNR or UF. Will expand on review later. If you are in the mood for something really different, up-to-date, and very engaging, I recommend So Say the Waiters, Book 1: Episodes 1-5 and the rest of the series (two more multi-episode books).
June 20, 2013
Read it in one sitting. It's a fun story, and I enjoyed the diverse set of characters. If you live in Bmore, you will recognize the locations. I have yet to decide on the details of my first kidnapp. Looking forward to the next set of episodes.
June 10, 2013
I cannot wait for the second book! An interesting study of a couple of different characters. I am intrigued to see how the characters continue to develop and who else gets fleshed out.
December 15, 2013
This is Book 1 in an exciting new series called So Say the Waiters. Justin Sirois digs into the growing market of social media and mobile apps to bring an interesting new series to readers.
The story mainly takes place in Baltimore and follows two main characters Dani and Henry. Their story lines are separate, but as I had been assuming since beginning the book, they end up crossing paths along the way.
Henry is a program developer that has recently gone through a divorce, and he is just trying to get through. His job is enough for him, but the payments on his house and mortgage are getting out of hand. As he tries to get over his recent divorce, he begins calling in to work more often than not. When his good friend from college calls him up and flies him out to California for a weekend, he is given an offer that he cannot refuse – no matter how much he may want to.
Dani is a single girl covered in tattoos and works as a bar tender at a local club. She is good at her job, but struggles to make rent. She lives with her friend Bonnie, and though they don’t get along all of the time, the arrangement is good enough for them – at the beginning. She is covered in tattoos, none of which have a great amount of meaning to her, don’t ask her what they mean, and ESPECIALLY don’t call her a hipster.
To me, Dani was the more interesting character of the two. For a good majority of the book, Henry was a bit whiny, but that is his character. He has gone through a rough patch in life, but is working on turning it around.
About midway through we are introduced to two other character, Jess and Uly. They are brother and sister and Jess is about four years older. They are interesting characters, but for the longest time, I could not figure out what part they had to play in the story. It becomes a bit clearer as the story progresses, but I hope to see a bit more of them in Book 2.
Now to what ties all of these characters together and what this book is really about. kidnApp. It is a new mobile app that was created by Henry’s college friend Steven. This app allows the “waiters” to submit an application to be kidnapped by hired “takers”. The takers are hired by the company and are professionals who are there to fulfill all of the waiters wishes for their kidnapping experience. Once the kidnap is done, the takers return the waiters to their homes. In the app itself, it allows waiters to write about their experiences and to connect with other waiters.
It is a very interesting concept, but it could go horribly wrong.
This book is written very well. Justin Sirois writes in a way that captures your attention from the very first page. The chapters are fairly short, and there are also breaks in each chapter if you need to put the book down to take a break.
The characters all have their own stories, and they all grow as the story progresses. None of them felt like unnecessary characters. They were all important to the book, and they were all relatable in their own ways.
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
5/5 stars. Perfect set up for a series. Interesting storyline with great characters and character development.
The story mainly takes place in Baltimore and follows two main characters Dani and Henry. Their story lines are separate, but as I had been assuming since beginning the book, they end up crossing paths along the way.
Henry is a program developer that has recently gone through a divorce, and he is just trying to get through. His job is enough for him, but the payments on his house and mortgage are getting out of hand. As he tries to get over his recent divorce, he begins calling in to work more often than not. When his good friend from college calls him up and flies him out to California for a weekend, he is given an offer that he cannot refuse – no matter how much he may want to.
Dani is a single girl covered in tattoos and works as a bar tender at a local club. She is good at her job, but struggles to make rent. She lives with her friend Bonnie, and though they don’t get along all of the time, the arrangement is good enough for them – at the beginning. She is covered in tattoos, none of which have a great amount of meaning to her, don’t ask her what they mean, and ESPECIALLY don’t call her a hipster.
To me, Dani was the more interesting character of the two. For a good majority of the book, Henry was a bit whiny, but that is his character. He has gone through a rough patch in life, but is working on turning it around.
About midway through we are introduced to two other character, Jess and Uly. They are brother and sister and Jess is about four years older. They are interesting characters, but for the longest time, I could not figure out what part they had to play in the story. It becomes a bit clearer as the story progresses, but I hope to see a bit more of them in Book 2.
Now to what ties all of these characters together and what this book is really about. kidnApp. It is a new mobile app that was created by Henry’s college friend Steven. This app allows the “waiters” to submit an application to be kidnapped by hired “takers”. The takers are hired by the company and are professionals who are there to fulfill all of the waiters wishes for their kidnapping experience. Once the kidnap is done, the takers return the waiters to their homes. In the app itself, it allows waiters to write about their experiences and to connect with other waiters.
It is a very interesting concept, but it could go horribly wrong.
This book is written very well. Justin Sirois writes in a way that captures your attention from the very first page. The chapters are fairly short, and there are also breaks in each chapter if you need to put the book down to take a break.
The characters all have their own stories, and they all grow as the story progresses. None of them felt like unnecessary characters. They were all important to the book, and they were all relatable in their own ways.
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
5/5 stars. Perfect set up for a series. Interesting storyline with great characters and character development.
December 20, 2013
I'd rate this somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.
Imagine a world where a phone app exists that allows you to create and plan your own kidnapping. You give the parameters for the kidnapping: the duration, the experiences you want to have, the safe word for a safe escape...
Henry is a daily grind kind of guy working in a mind-numbing yet steady job in programming where he's struggling to keep his head above water. His work is sloppy, he calls in late or sick often, skips out early, and he's paying for it in work performance. His marriage is all but over, and his wife is nearly completely moved out. He receives a phone call and a plane ticket one Friday afternoon to send him across the country from home (Baltimore) to Los Angeles to visit an old friend with a wild and lucrative proposition.
Dani is a girl who's barely scraping by. She's a bartender in a band and she's covered in tattoos. She's one of kidnApp's best customers, and an early adopter. She can't make rent, and she can't make the guy she likes want her, too, but she's a whiz with getting swept away by a Taker.
The story winds closely around these two characters, and really does a good job building up the beginnings of a great partnership. This is only Book 1, so the foundation is laid rather well. I really feel the doldrums of Henry's life, and I'm eager for him to take the opportunity to turn everything on its ear and change directions 180-degrees. But he won't, because he's Henry, and he will do this methodically and planting each foot firmly down before taking the next step. That's where Dani comes in. These two may very well create a powerhouse dynamic duo that will accelerate kidnApp to the upper atmosphere where it belongs.
Criticisms: This book was littered with misspellings and grammatical errors. I am unsure if it was edited. It seems like it was, because it is well-written, but some of the errors are blatant and left me scratching my head. I tried to submit the errors via the Kindle interface, but I'm not sure those are reported exactly as I had it conjured in my mind. Regardless, with a bit of effort in setting aside these oversights, the book is fun and worth a shot to learn if the kidnApp world is right for you.
Imagine a world where a phone app exists that allows you to create and plan your own kidnapping. You give the parameters for the kidnapping: the duration, the experiences you want to have, the safe word for a safe escape...
Henry is a daily grind kind of guy working in a mind-numbing yet steady job in programming where he's struggling to keep his head above water. His work is sloppy, he calls in late or sick often, skips out early, and he's paying for it in work performance. His marriage is all but over, and his wife is nearly completely moved out. He receives a phone call and a plane ticket one Friday afternoon to send him across the country from home (Baltimore) to Los Angeles to visit an old friend with a wild and lucrative proposition.
Dani is a girl who's barely scraping by. She's a bartender in a band and she's covered in tattoos. She's one of kidnApp's best customers, and an early adopter. She can't make rent, and she can't make the guy she likes want her, too, but she's a whiz with getting swept away by a Taker.
The story winds closely around these two characters, and really does a good job building up the beginnings of a great partnership. This is only Book 1, so the foundation is laid rather well. I really feel the doldrums of Henry's life, and I'm eager for him to take the opportunity to turn everything on its ear and change directions 180-degrees. But he won't, because he's Henry, and he will do this methodically and planting each foot firmly down before taking the next step. That's where Dani comes in. These two may very well create a powerhouse dynamic duo that will accelerate kidnApp to the upper atmosphere where it belongs.
Criticisms: This book was littered with misspellings and grammatical errors. I am unsure if it was edited. It seems like it was, because it is well-written, but some of the errors are blatant and left me scratching my head. I tried to submit the errors via the Kindle interface, but I'm not sure those are reported exactly as I had it conjured in my mind. Regardless, with a bit of effort in setting aside these oversights, the book is fun and worth a shot to learn if the kidnApp world is right for you.
December 25, 2013
Henry was a different kind of character than I usually read. He wasn't kick-butt or even mentally resilient. He was a computer programmer dealing with the emotional (and financial) aftermath of a bad breakup. I didn't really enjoy him, but I found him interesting, at least.
Dani was the exact opposite of Henry - a tattooed twenty-something bartender living on tips and playing keyboard in a little local band. She was exactly the kind of character I would expect to find in this book, only I would have expected her to be a kidnapper.
This book did not read like a traditional novel. There was no easily-identified climax or major disasters, and the ending felt more like the end of a chapter than the end of a novel. (It might have been more structured within the individual "episodes" - I wasn't paying attention to where one stopped and the next began.) But I enjoyed the story, figuring out the details of kidnApp, and trying to understand how Henry and Dani's plots fit together. Justin Sirois was brilliant at bringing together random plot lines into a great story.
The very, very best part about SO SAY THE WAITERS was the idea. An app for people who want to be kidnapped for fun - awesome! "Waiters" who want to be kidnapped can specify how long they want to be taken, how rough their "Taker" can be, even little stuff like if they want a bag over their head or just a blindfold. I want to be kidnapped. And then I want to kidnap people. I don't even know if this would be legal, but it would be fun!
Dani was the exact opposite of Henry - a tattooed twenty-something bartender living on tips and playing keyboard in a little local band. She was exactly the kind of character I would expect to find in this book, only I would have expected her to be a kidnapper.
This book did not read like a traditional novel. There was no easily-identified climax or major disasters, and the ending felt more like the end of a chapter than the end of a novel. (It might have been more structured within the individual "episodes" - I wasn't paying attention to where one stopped and the next began.) But I enjoyed the story, figuring out the details of kidnApp, and trying to understand how Henry and Dani's plots fit together. Justin Sirois was brilliant at bringing together random plot lines into a great story.
The very, very best part about SO SAY THE WAITERS was the idea. An app for people who want to be kidnapped for fun - awesome! "Waiters" who want to be kidnapped can specify how long they want to be taken, how rough their "Taker" can be, even little stuff like if they want a bag over their head or just a blindfold. I want to be kidnapped. And then I want to kidnap people. I don't even know if this would be legal, but it would be fun!
Read
January 30, 2014It's not about restaurant-staff waiters. And if the premise of a novel about a smartphone app throws you off (as it did for me -- I don't have a smartphone and I'm not into topical fiction), just get over yourself and read this already. It's not what you think it is. The novel is more about Baltimore and its subcultures, and the way people deal with the isolation of city life. (The app is just the means by which Sirois explores these themes, and he does so very well.)
I hate the phrase "couldn't put it down" but I actually couldn't put this down. I read 150 pages in one day (I'm not a fast reader). I was late for work yesterday because I woke up and immediately resumed reading. I read it on my lunch break. I am pausing before the final chapter only to write this review, and when Atomic opens in a couple of hours, I will use the last of my $$ to buy Book 2.
You should actually stop reading this review and start reading this book.
PS- Others have mentioned the typos. I'm fairly certain this book was self-published, so they don't bother me one bit. I'll happily read "forth" instead of "fourth" if it allows Justin Sirois to come out with these novels a little faster. We're big kids; we can figure it out.
I hate the phrase "couldn't put it down" but I actually couldn't put this down. I read 150 pages in one day (I'm not a fast reader). I was late for work yesterday because I woke up and immediately resumed reading. I read it on my lunch break. I am pausing before the final chapter only to write this review, and when Atomic opens in a couple of hours, I will use the last of my $$ to buy Book 2.
You should actually stop reading this review and start reading this book.
PS- Others have mentioned the typos. I'm fairly certain this book was self-published, so they don't bother me one bit. I'll happily read "forth" instead of "fourth" if it allows Justin Sirois to come out with these novels a little faster. We're big kids; we can figure it out.
February 10, 2014
From the Baltimore City Paper:
Sirois, also a poet, is well on his way to becoming Baltimore’s most important novelist. (His first novel, Falcons on the Floor, details the journey of two Iraqis trying to escape the battle of Fallujah. [“Beyond the Front,” Feature, Dec. 16, 2009]) But I’ve hesitated to call So Say the Waiters a novel because the paperback version is comprised of the first five “episodes” of the complete project—which Sirois estimates may equal 15 or 20 in all. So, while we are left somewhat unsatisfied at the end of these first five episodes, which end where Dani and Henry’s worlds collide, that seems to be the point. It doesn’t matter so much that the books were first released electronically—despite the certain parallels with the app inside the book—as it does that it was released episodically. Because by the time we reach the end of the first book, wondering how things will unfold between Dani and Henry, we have become Waiters and given ourselves over to Sirois’ world.
http://citypaper.com/arts/books/siroi...
Sirois, also a poet, is well on his way to becoming Baltimore’s most important novelist. (His first novel, Falcons on the Floor, details the journey of two Iraqis trying to escape the battle of Fallujah. [“Beyond the Front,” Feature, Dec. 16, 2009]) But I’ve hesitated to call So Say the Waiters a novel because the paperback version is comprised of the first five “episodes” of the complete project—which Sirois estimates may equal 15 or 20 in all. So, while we are left somewhat unsatisfied at the end of these first five episodes, which end where Dani and Henry’s worlds collide, that seems to be the point. It doesn’t matter so much that the books were first released electronically—despite the certain parallels with the app inside the book—as it does that it was released episodically. Because by the time we reach the end of the first book, wondering how things will unfold between Dani and Henry, we have become Waiters and given ourselves over to Sirois’ world.
http://citypaper.com/arts/books/siroi...
June 17, 2013
This was one of those books where you decide to give it five pages and then end up reading the entire thing in one sitting and then immediately buying the sequels.
Some specifics:
1. I didn't hate the characters, even when they were being annoying... (I'm looking at you Henry).
2. The kidnap scenes had potential to be racy* and then ended up being something else entirely. (Can I say "beautiful" and not sound pretentious?)
3. The story doesn't go where you think it's going to go, and that's usually frustrating to me (I guess I like being right) but this time, it wasn't.
4. Sirois introduced a bunch of characters and didn't make me lose my interest because he makes you care about all of them.
The only problem I have is the next "book" of episodes isn't out yet. So Sirois, you should probably write faster, mmmkay?
*(But okay, maybe there were some racy parts...)
Some specifics:
1. I didn't hate the characters, even when they were being annoying... (I'm looking at you Henry).
2. The kidnap scenes had potential to be racy* and then ended up being something else entirely. (Can I say "beautiful" and not sound pretentious?)
3. The story doesn't go where you think it's going to go, and that's usually frustrating to me (I guess I like being right) but this time, it wasn't.
4. Sirois introduced a bunch of characters and didn't make me lose my interest because he makes you care about all of them.
The only problem I have is the next "book" of episodes isn't out yet. So Sirois, you should probably write faster, mmmkay?
*(But okay, maybe there were some racy parts...)
December 20, 2012
After finishing So Say the Waiters, I look at people even more on the street, wondering if they would give up the life they live.
Sirois developed an eclectic group of characters – a morose teenage male poet, to a recently separated, completely depressed man, to a badass female in her mid-twenties living an artist life, but not fitting into any stereotype (don't you dare call her a hipster) – and I care about each one. They each struggled with connecting to people. Without giving the plot away, each is connected to kidnApp in a way that will change their lives.
I walk through Baltimore and love the diverse setting it provides. As I recognized the monuments, bro-bars, and neighborhoods referenced in the book, my heart swelled with the understanding of the city within the lines.
I cannot wait for more episodes.
Sirois developed an eclectic group of characters – a morose teenage male poet, to a recently separated, completely depressed man, to a badass female in her mid-twenties living an artist life, but not fitting into any stereotype (don't you dare call her a hipster) – and I care about each one. They each struggled with connecting to people. Without giving the plot away, each is connected to kidnApp in a way that will change their lives.
I walk through Baltimore and love the diverse setting it provides. As I recognized the monuments, bro-bars, and neighborhoods referenced in the book, my heart swelled with the understanding of the city within the lines.
I cannot wait for more episodes.
March 24, 2013
I. Loved. This.
I think this has been one of my favorite random finds in a while. So Say the Waiters is a relatively easy read, but very smart. The characters are so well thought out and described... like... I know those people. I could name people based on Dani's mannerisms. I know a few Henrys.
I felt like the author tapped into the overexposure of this generation. How we have to communicate ALL THE TIME. Our iPhones are glued to us. Apps aren't just programs for our phones, they are a language, a hobby, an outlet... KidnApp is almost believable. I could see that being something that people would embrace. Hell, people already meet up with strangers from social media, why wouldn't they use an App like that?
I can tell this story could go somewhere interesting. I can't wait til the next one.
I think this has been one of my favorite random finds in a while. So Say the Waiters is a relatively easy read, but very smart. The characters are so well thought out and described... like... I know those people. I could name people based on Dani's mannerisms. I know a few Henrys.
I felt like the author tapped into the overexposure of this generation. How we have to communicate ALL THE TIME. Our iPhones are glued to us. Apps aren't just programs for our phones, they are a language, a hobby, an outlet... KidnApp is almost believable. I could see that being something that people would embrace. Hell, people already meet up with strangers from social media, why wouldn't they use an App like that?
I can tell this story could go somewhere interesting. I can't wait til the next one.
December 5, 2013
I'm so disappointed in this book. The premise of this book is amazing, and thus, the plot opportunities were numerous. Seriously --- an app that lets you handpick your "getting kidnapped" adventure? Kinky, right? Thrilling, right? So probable in today's world when people are sick of their safe, monotonous lives and want an adventure, albeit a controlled one...
This book isn't all that well-written... it's okay, but it's just not that compelling. The sentences come in jerks and I am not enthralled at all. Maybe my high expectations of this book make me a harsher critic.
I find that with well-written books, I tend not to notice the sentence structure, the dialogues, the paragraphs, etc. Unfortunately, I noticed all of that, and more, while reading this book.
I wish the execution of the idea was better. Sigh.
This book isn't all that well-written... it's okay, but it's just not that compelling. The sentences come in jerks and I am not enthralled at all. Maybe my high expectations of this book make me a harsher critic.
I find that with well-written books, I tend not to notice the sentence structure, the dialogues, the paragraphs, etc. Unfortunately, I noticed all of that, and more, while reading this book.
I wish the execution of the idea was better. Sigh.
March 6, 2013
It was a fast read, and very entertaining. Included interesting themes, and topics, and the app idea was an innovative one. The author did a good job with character development, however there didn't seem to be a redeeming quality in the protagonists. Not necessarily a requirement in novels, though. The only part I did't like was the incongruous family from West Baltimore - Jess and Uly. They seemed rather thrown in. Their characters were actually more interesting than the original protagonists, in the end. But they weren't developed fully. If you are going to separate episodes, and have two books, I feel like there should be more of an ending or cliffhanger with all the characters.
November 19, 2012
I've been going through a stage lately where I read a lot of beginnings of books, but this was definitely not the case with So Say the Waiters. The book sucked me in immediately. It is fast-paced and compelling with interesting and familiar characters and a thoughtful, well written, and suspenseful plot. Thanks for jumpstarting me out of my reading rut. I can't wait to read what happens next.So Say the Waiters book 1
November 19, 2012
I have never written a book review before but I really loved this book. I just heard about it by chance on NPR while flipping through radio stations and being from Baltimore, where the book is set, I wanted to read it only for that reason. But I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it a great "tour" of Baltimore, but I thought the story was so clever, it really kept me turning the page. I tore through it and it still left me wanting more, as all great books do! I really look forward to more from this author.
December 29, 2013
I felt this had a slow start, but I really got into it as it went along. A very unusual premise - there is a new app for phones, KidNapp, that lets you join and, if you submit a request, be "taken" for a specified period of time, and what you specify is done to/with you. There are several alternating viewpoints, which is a bit confusing at first but it all seems to make sense in short order. Just started the next book in the series.
February 1, 2013
I felt the writing suiting the story line and topic. I have to say the story of Henry and Dani interested me the most. Jess and Uly not so much, but it all tied in together so it works well with this book. I would recommend this to others because I know people who can relate to the characters. Even I can relate to Henry. Can't wait for book 2
August 15, 2013
I loved this book--everything I would say about it has already been said--I read it in almost one sitting! Just one big piece of delight, Baltimore style! Mr. Sirois captures much of what I love about Baltimore and writes so outsiders can love it, too! Makes me want to reread A Confederacy of Dunces, after, of course, I read Book 2.
July 29, 2014
Interesting premise, where the Waiters are not people who serve you your food, but instead are people waiting to be kidnapped by Takers, all to be found on an app which allows the setup and after event review of this interaction. Great writing, character development, and a wonderful plot which thankfully continues on into book 2, which I am now reading. Recommend.
October 25, 2013
Justin Sirois, you are a fresh voice in this genre! I devoured Book 1 and just downloaded Book 2. (WHEN is Book 3 due out????) Loved the story-telling and the premise is just cool. A little creepy, but still cool.
November 5, 2013
I really enjoyed the different concept explored in this book! Dani is great and I'm sure eventually she'll help Henry to not be so gloomy. I'm really looking forward to the development in the next book!
January 17, 2015
I couldn't stop reading this book and finished it in a day. The concept is fresh and relevant. Being born and bred in Baltimore, it was great to have the Charm City as a backdrop. I highly recommend it. Now, onto the next book in the series.
December 16, 2012
I was very skeptical for most of the episodes....but the
end brought it all together and now I want more!!!
end brought it all together and now I want more!!!
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