Jen > Recent Status Updates

No but I hate that there's so many site bugs across this place, now. Whoever is in charge of the coding needs to do a much better job. It's almost useless.

I remember reading this as a teen. I'm 40, now. I can't remember what it was about, but I know that right now I desperately crave the depth and resilience I find in Hoffman's characters and stories. Layers....characters NEED layers. They're like ogres, like onions. Today's Contemp Romance is all about the surface but I want to feel the troubled stuff. I was fluff AND substance damn it! So I have to re-read old books!

Unforgivable Hallmark Channel waters, here Center. Not cool, bro.

It was telegraphed from a mile away. The tension isn't there. We already know that Finn ain't it, and never had a chance in hell, from the aside from the damn author in the beginning of the book.

This is so predictably tropecentric, Center. Hopefully you realize it could be so much better if you laid off a bit. Too much of a good thing. Read more Eloisa James. She does tension well.

It's not miniskirt shorts it's skorts. the word is skorts. skirt-shorts. Skorts. The dialogue got even worse. It's hovering at a 3-star, so far. It better get less corny soon.

'kay....the dialogue is dopey. Too dopey. I believe I've already figured out the supposed twist: Coops kissed her not the dolt Finn. Maybe even Finn is gay or a douche like Pearce/her dad. (it's not spoiling the book if I've yet to read it....I just wanna see if my prediction was right. If so....too hard of a lean into the trope, Center. (I thought it was my first Center book; I'd read two before this one!)

ok it's all good so far.....not saccharine sweet

I love the Love Essay at the beginning, and I love the dedication to me (since I need a hug for sure right about now). Life FUCKING SUCKS....I am a bit worried, though. This is my first Katherine Center Book and I sure hope it doesn't feel like a Hallmark movie. I have been a fan of romance since I cracked my first Julie Garwood back in 2000. So...love story, make me feel it's still real!

A lot of book pivoting was done tonight while trying to find a book to escape with this weekend. This book already holds promise cuz it’s dedicated to me! (Kidding, it’s dedicated to Jen, obviously, it says 👀)

Oh god. It's TOO xmassy. I'm not very far into the book, either maybe like three or four pages. Peppermint tea this, peppermint bark that. Barfarama. I'll persist. It might get better......

Not sure what's possessed me to read a xmas book in the middle of June. A sappy one, it seems. I'll just try to hold on to the holiday cheer and heck, maybe I'll grab some peppermint mocha coffee or something and dig in. I need a good book to get me through the weekend.

And....I shit you not, folks....the guy quotes THE NOTEBOOK. "WHAT. Do. You. Want?".............ewx10000000 and I've not even finished the first damn scene. Nick Sparks is garbage. Why?!

And the guy....takes her out of the line for the single toilet in the nightclub they're in....and starts kissing her. It's really bizarre. They didn't even finish their dialogue, just started macking on each other? I guess I'm too old for this shit. lmfao.

Ok so far the main character casually mentioned having major bone surgery w/o any anesthetic. I'm a lil worried. This is the first page of the book!

Just used "unalived" instead of kill. And didn't use a Chevy or whatever.....used a "custom" car. It feels like it was written with trademark in mind in a booktok sort of way which is VERY unappealing. You read books to get back to humanity, NOT inundated by this bs. This is a minor issue, but it does sort of really bother me because I already hate the MCs.

It is with great sadness that I must report: there's some tropey ickfactor things in the book. I can't really tell Declan from Abi as far as their voice goes and unfortunately it's in first-person, switching between the two for each new chapter. Oh joy. Oh excitement.

So far the main characters are boring.

Pretty interesting. Super-flawed main character, but not annoyingly such. So far it feels like an Alice Hoffman book, in a good way.

Like a grown up version of Charlie And the Chocolate Factory

I got busy with work and couldn't find time to read more. So...22% it is, for now.

In the beginning, it was questioned as to why he wrote his diary… I believe that just from the substance alone, so far, it was logging events and emotions, and debriefing his brain. Introspective and observant folks have MANY thoughts zipping through us 24/7, and it makes sense to spew them on paper, wherever they may land.

I just read Britney Spears’ memoir prior to this diary. I think that is probably really important, and the fact that it’s a diary, published posthumously. But, that being said I think I love this diarist more that the memoir-writer (who glossed over sooo much that it felt absurd at times) Anyway back to the diary. I love the humor and the writing. He’s alive again in these pages. Makes me wanna write again, too

This is so cool. I was sucked in almost right away a it just feels like it’s all happening in real-time and like these people in the book are real lol! It’s been a while since I was able to get this swept away in a book. Pleasantly surprised 🙌

I’m loving it 😍

It picked up a bit, but just a bit. It’s really hard to connect to the characters.

Super slow, so far…. Very heavy in exposition, low in the actiony bits