books on tap: not-so-thriller threes

Welcome to the month of mediocre! I don't know if it's just me, or the books, or if it's both, but everything I read this month was just kind of...meh. I mean, none of these books are terrible - don't think that. I think they're worth reading once. But none of them really lived up to my expectations (or to the reviews I'd read about them).  But you should judge for yourself.
 
Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
 
xoxo,
E

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Upon the Infinite Sea, by Beatriz Williams. This book combines two stories in one: the story of Annabelle, during WWII, and Pepper, in 1960s Florida, and how their stories combine. The thing is, I really liked Annabelle's portions, but I never could get into Pepper's. Also, the two different stories (which were separated by chapters) were told in different POVs, which I didn't love. I think that's why I felt more distant from Pepper's story. I liked this book, but I didn't love the ending, and so much of Pepper's story was left unfinished. Initially, I gave this book 4 stars, but on thinking about it, I think it's really more like 3/5 stars.

First & Then, by Emma Mills. High school slacker Devon is frustrated when her socially inept cousin Foster shows up in her gym class, embarrassing her at every turn. Eventually, through him, she realizes she's had a crush on the wrong guy for too long, and she's shut too many people out. This book could have been good, but so many things were left undone. She was struggling with what to do to get into college? No word on whether that was resolved. Her cousin's abandonment issues? Glossed over. This book tried to be serious, but it's almost like it tackled too many topics and none were explored properly. I liked the characters, but the story just felt like it only scratched the surface. 3/5 stars.

The Sun Is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon. Natasha is only 12 hours away from being deported, and on her way to convince the government to let her stay, she runs into Daniel, a Korean boy suffering from oppressive-parent syndrome. Skeptical Natasha and earnest Daniel naturally fall in love as they try to do everything they can to keep her in the country. It's a cute  enough story, but Natasha constantly yammering about how she doesn't believe in anything but science (ie, she doesn't believe in love) gets annoying. By the end, I was mostly skimming just to see what happened. 3/5 stars.

The Light We Lost, by Jill Santopolo. This book follows the lives of Gabe and Lucy, who met on the first day of class their senior year of college, which happened to be Sept. 11. They drifted apart after Gabe went back to his girlfriend, but met up a year and a half later and dated. That ended when Gabe decided to pursue a photojournalism career in Iraq. The rest of the story is Lucy moving on with her life, but still wondering if Gabe is the one. He pops up in her life every so often to check in, even though she marries and has two children. This book got high reviews, but I kind of think Lucy is an idiot and a jerk to keep holding on to Gabe and constantly wondering if she should have married Darren, and don't get me started on the ending. I give this 3/5 stars.

The Unlikelies, by Carrie Firestone. Sadie meets four new friends at an awards luncheon for Hometown Heroes after she rescues a baby from a locked car and gets beaten up by the drunk and violent father, who had abducted the baby, in the process. The group, which dubs itself "The Unlikelies," embarks on an anti-bullying campaign. They're also trying to figure out what to do with a fortune left to Sadie by an old man, and how to help a friend addicted to heroin. It was okay, but the entire book just seemed a little too unbelievable and far-fetched for me. Something about it just didn't ring true. It tried to touch on serious topics, but I don't think it did them justice. It's a cute story, but I just wanted a little bit more from it. 3/5 stars.

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this month's re-reads

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