These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Amy    
Lynnie 

sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, young adult 

This is the first in a series but the second book is not a sequel to this one--it is about a different set of characters, set in the same universe.  Given that and the fact that the third novel in the series does not release until December, we decided to go ahead and blog about this book now since we both enjoyed it.  These Broken Stars is co-written by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.  It describes how Lilac and Tarver, the lone survivors of a spaceliner accident, survive on a strange planet.  Lilac is the privileged daughter of the richest man in the universe and Tarver is a young war hero.

Amy's Review

I really enjoyed this one! It’s a different twist on a couple of age-old storylines and very well done. Two characters who would otherwise not have been permitted to spend time together find themselves stranded alone on an uninhabited planet. They must work together to survive. I felt close to the characters and found them very believable in their behaviors and feelings. The story held my interest and left me wanting to know more. The environments were all well-drawn and the pace was good. I lis I really enjoyed this one! It’s a different twist on a couple of age-old storylines and very well done. Two characters who would otherwise not have been permitted to spend time together find themselves stranded alone on an uninhabited planet. They must work together to survive. I felt close to the characters and found them very believable in their behaviors and feelings. The story held my interest and left me wanting to know more. The environments were all well-drawn and the pace was good. I listened to the audiobook and the two (well, three) narrators did a great job with the two alternating points of view. Lynnie's Review This book was a lot of fun to read. At first, it was difficult not to compare the characters Tarver & Lilac to the main characters from the Under The Never Sky series (see our reviews here), Aria & Perry: two people from different worlds, a girl outside of her comfort zone finding strength she never imagined while a patient boy helps her adjust to her new surroundings. The story of Lilac & Tarver is engaging though. After their poorly named spaceliner Icarus crashes (well duh! Would you want to fly on anything named after a guy whose hubris made him crash into the ocean? Me neither!), they work together to survive on an uninhabited planet, solve the planet's mysteries & try to find a way to be rescued. I definitely enjoyed getting to know both characters. The story moved along at a great pace which kept me interested and made me want to keep reading to see what would happen next. It's a great summer read & I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Lynnie   



young adult, contemporary fiction

I can't decide if this is 3 or 3 1/2 stars, which probably means it's 3 stars.

For a book about a serious & depressing topic (suicide), Playlist for the Dead is surprisingly not depressing at all. Instead it's about coping, grieving & learning to move forward. I think Michelle Falkoff has made it easier to read about suicide and its fallout because in this book we never really know Hayden before his death. Rather I was intrigued by the people Hayden left behind & this book really succeeds in letting us get to know them as the story plays out.

There were some small "mysteries" in the story- none of which were particularly mysterious honestly (in fact, I thought it was rather obvious). Suspecting how things were going to unfold though didn't take away from story.

It's not an uplifting read, but it is an interesting one.  

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

Lynnie   

science fiction, fantasy  

I'm in a book slump. Four books in a row that I didn't finish and/or didn't enjoy. It's a bit distressing! 


I wanted to like The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. I really did. Once again, I find myself reading a book with a really interesting premise & a horrible execution.  Harry August is a man who, regardless of the manner or age of his death is reborn into the exact same circumstances over and over again. The book's description includes the teaser, "This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow."  Sounds pretty interesting right? And lots of people LOVE this book so what could go wrong?


Well, when things are moving along in this book, it's quite interesting but there is so much meandering & reminiscing going no where that it's eternally frustrating. Right in the middle of something important, Claire North (one of multiple pen names for Catherine Webb) will flash back to one of Harry's previous lives- something that might be interesting but has NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER with what we were just reading. Every time it took me completely out of the story at hand and reinforced that I just have no patience for a story that goes nowhere.  Yes, eventually this book makes a point and moves along, but it requires the patience and wisdom of multiple lives and I only have one to live.

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Amy   

women's fiction, contemporary fiction

I was not expecting to like Love Anthony as much as I did which makes it all the sweeter. I read this for one of my book clubs and, although I loved the other Lisa Genova book I've read (Still Alice) as well as two books where the protagonists were autistic (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Rosie Project), I just wasn’t excited based on the description of this novel.

This is the story of two women who both live on Nantucket—one trying to escape her recent past of losing her autistic 8-year-old son and separating from her husband, the other trying to accept life as a newly single mother of three girls after learning her husband was having an affair. Eventually, their paths cross and both of their lives are better for their connection.

I found the majority of this novel extremely compelling. I was interested in the characters and their stories and hoping the roughness in their lives would smooth out. Genova is a gifted writer who pulls you in and makes you really understand the characters. She weaves a realistic tale—somehow including both humor and sadness in just the right doses--and makes you feel like you know people with (or have your own) similar thoughts. The stories are believable and the paths seem reasonable ones for the characters to follow.

What I did not fully appreciate was the “channeling”. I felt that the story could have been told in a way that still resonated with both Beth and Olivia, providing both with satisfactory endings, without the story going all “ghost-y” on us. I certainly am a fantasy lover so I’m not quite sure why I couldn’t enjoy that aspect of this novel. I think it simply felt too real for me to be able to accept a fantasy element so late in the story. It somehow cheapened the entire novel for me. But I still enjoyed it overall—very much!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Amy    
Lynnie 

contemporary fiction

In this post, we are reaching back to highlight a book we both loved which was read before we started blogging.  As you can see, we both gave Me Before You by Jojo Moyes a 5-heart rating!  This book also made it onto both of our Best of 2014 lists (which you can see here (Lynnie's) and here (Amy's)).  The movie is currently being filmed and a sequel is being written.

This is the story of a newly unemployed young woman who takes a job, out of desperation, caring for an ornery, wealthy, paraplegic man.  Both people are changed by each other and the book takes you through a journey of feelings and opinions. 

Amy's Review

This book had me in its grips from the beginning. What a story and what a cast of characters! Sometimes, admittedly, I did want to shake some sense in Louisa, but I suppose that was part of the point. This book is full of heart. When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book. And, I continued to think about it long after. The ending was perfect. Loved this one!

Lynnie's Review

It looks like a chick book but don't be fooled by the cover. I loved this book and all the characters in it (even the ones you weren't supposed to love) and so did my husband. They touched my heart and I found myself thinking about them, even after the book ended. The story of who they were- before and after they came together was really just... wonderful. It's a book about family, trust, love, and being true to yourself, even when you are afraid of who that might be.