Kathrine
Honestly 3.5 stars. I liked the characters and most of the story elements and the overall style, but couldn't bring myself to love them. There were things - like Ada's healing wishes and Ray's death can't touch me appearances - that felt over the top while so much else felt very grounded, extremely grounded. I know a story needs an antagonist, but Ray just fell flat for me. I didn't get his motivations or his obsession. Some of the scenes between Ada and Virgil drifted agonizingly to nowhere in particular. I kept thinking hurry up and get back the flashbacks. I wanted to know more about the journey she took. Adding to that, the ending felt rushed. I'd figured out long before who the victim was and who killed him. And I had a pretty good idea, though not all the pieces - as to why. I don't think the author wanted that to be a big secret anyway. I'm actually good with that. I just wanted more. We'd spent pages building to what happened, how Ada wanted and needed to perform, what the final straw was and why, only to get a “I love you more than anything. Let's start over somewhere else. Without all this. ok, sure. The end.”
Some synopsis and descriptions referred to this book as Water For Elephants meets The Night Circus (both books I enjoyed). While I can understand why that comparison might be made, I don't think that was the case at all. Yes, there's a traveling show. Yes, there's a tortured romance. Yes, there's even a bit of magic involved (both real and illusion). But this just wasn't at the same level. I never felt the need to hug a character like I wanted to in Elephants or quote multiple lines like I have from Night Circus. Still if someone asked, I'd probably encourage him/her to givet his story a chance.
Not quite sure how to rate this one. 2.5 stars? 2.75? Do I round up and make it 3? If I were basing it solely on most the first section, it'd be 3 stars or more. Lots of promise there. To start with, the story is set in a bookstore. What better place could there be? And there's mystery. And weird goings-on. And odd characters. Fun things that you know all link together and you want to know when and how and why. Granted the writing was a little simple and didn't always flow, but that could be hand waved away if the story is distracting enough. And it was. Until Google and the supposed love interest plopped themselves into the middle of the story and hung on for dear life. The story quickly dissolved into not much more than a love letter to the great search engine of the west with the occasional tangent to the Kindle. None of that added anything to the story and the longer they occupied good story real estate, the easier it was to set this book down. Not a good thing to happen in part 2 of a 3 part story. Part 3 picked up slightly for a moment or two, though I think more because of a couple of character introductions than anything story wise. Then, it fizzled out like a sparkler being stuck in a bucket of sand. What probably should have been an exciting, fast paced adventure to retrieve the font punches from the Warehouse 13-esque desert library felt like a walk out to your car to get the bag of chips that fell out of a grocery bag. The resolution to the great mystery was insubstantial, without any real depth or even a real Aha! moment. I really wish the last chapter had been more showing the reader what happened rather than a long tell me everything monologue. I think I just wanted more than was crammed into the short number of pages. For now - 3 stars. Because at it's heart, it's still about books.
I think I may have to take a long break from the WMC books. This one left me just meh. Lindsay whined and fretted, which is what she does a lot of anymore. Cindy managed to get herself in trouble. Again. Yuki did the whole “I'm right about everything...oh wait maybe not quite about everything” thing. And Claire was on prop duty. None of the 3 major arcs kept me interested. The best one was probably Yuki's court case but that ended up being so convoluted, that I really didn't care how it all worked out.
Well, I didn't all out hate it. However I've read much better fantasy, much better action and much better young adult-ish genre books. It was a lot of of talk and not even close to enough show. Scenes went on way too long. Pages and pages of characters telling our less exciting than a pool noodle “heroine” (using the term loosely, because she did NOTHING) that she deserved explanations and would get explanations at some point. In the future. Maybe. Eventually. When we did finally get what I think was reasons, it was all so vague it didn't much matter. After that it was a bunch of wandering around palaces, gardens, woods, and neighboring villages with no plot advancement. Reece just worried her pretty little blonde head over how her life had changed and how much she had fallen for her tru wuv all while hating on the meany royal snobbery. It felt like the author might have been going for a Jane Austen type vibe with some Mean Girls thrown in for laughs...or for propping up said heroine. It didn't work.
I was almost excited to get the big action/climatic/fight scenes. Then I thought better of it and set my expectations low. The car race had great promise. Problem was it didn't just fall flat, it cratered. There was nothing that ever showed how evil or menacing or even scary the bad guys were. We were just told that was so and should thus believe it. The great meeting in Scotland? Nothing happened there either. Alien 1 throws a fit and makes demands. Aliens 2-5 nod in agreement. Good guys burst in, take control. CEO of the good guys makes a long winded speech. Aliens 2-5 change their minds. Alien 1 vows to get his revenge all while skulking off with his tail between his legs. Everyone goes home with no blood shed or injuries. And everyone lives happily every after...for now...while the evil bad guys and the mean girls regroup and plan another way to get their revenge.
Oh and if Levi called Reece ‘my Love' one more time, I was going to start throwing things (a big pet peeve of mine. She has a freakin' name. Just because you love her doesn't mean you can't use it anymore)
On the plus side, the descriptions were nice and the horses were sweet, lovable creature.
I really don't see myself ever picking up book 2.
Three stars because of Edith Wharton's writing. She just has a way conveying scenes beautifully while giving fantastic characterizations. If not for that, I would probably barely give it 1 star. I don't think there was a single likable character in the group. Well maybe Paul, but he was only like 9 years old by the end so he doesn't really count. I don't think there was a single moment when I didn't want to push Undine off a cliff in the Alps or off a ship as it crossed the Atlantic. Not a single redeeming quality. The men were not much better. They all let her trample all over themselves. I nearly stopped reading this one and in some ways wish I had. Not a book I'd recommend unless you're a big fan of Wharton.
Like this installment in the Pepper Martin series, but I wish the overall plot had moved forward even just a little bit. Everything was status quo with 95% of the characters. Pepper is still seeing ghosts and flirting with Quinn and he alternates with flirting and rolling his eyes. Dan is still a huge mysterious black hole who occasionally hangs out with ghost hunters. Ella is still a chipper, over-protective boss. We did get to meet Pepper's arse of an ex-fiance. He lived up to his reputation. Speaking of - I did love Ghost!Grandma Panhorst. She was a riot.
The basic mystery was fun and with a tiny amount of adrenaline (only a small car chase in the cemetary and one close call with death). I could have done without the ridiculous Pepper falls for the hot if only he wasn't 40 years dead former rock star part. It felt like it was wedged into the story to create drama or angst or something. Whatever it was supposed to do, it didn't work. still like the series and hopefully the next book has more forward momentum.
Needed something short and easy in order to meet my book goal for 2014...went through my Nook and this was sitting there waiting (forgot that I'd pre-ordered it way back when). Four is by far my favorite character in DiverentLand, so to learn more about his background and see that world through his eyes is fantastic. With this second prequel, we get to learn a little more about some of the other Dauntless - Zeke and Shauna mostly but others make appearances. Enjoyable, fast, and sticks to character.
Cute, amusing and decently written, though really, really predictable. Like Hallmark Channel movie predictable. Not that that's a bad thing. On the plus side, the dialogue was pretty good - realistic sounding. Picked this up (really just picked out of my e-reader library where it's been sitting for months) because I needed something light and fluffy and it fulfilled all those requirements.
A bit of a slow start and I was starting to wonder whether I'd be able to survive the constant barrage of snarky one liners that inundate the first few chapters. Finally the author seemed to settle somewhere between pages 75 and 100 and I stopped wanting to throw things at Charley. Fun characters, though at times they felt a little vague. I figure that will change as the series continues and we get to know them all better. I did really like the 3 lawyers - they were amusing. Decent plot - crime proceedural with lots of paranormal thrown in. Reminded me a little bit of Janet Evanovich's books.
What started out as a strong premise with lots of potential soon devolved into mediocre, stereotypical YA mess. Jenna was a strong, take no prisoners, tell you to go to hell female main character. She had a brain, thought for herself, and didn't make excuses or spend hours crying into her hoodie. Yay! A character I could love. And then...then a sweet fluffy puppy boy was introduced. Yeah, sure the boy had his own angsty issues, but really he was there for one reason and one reason only. To allow Jenna to descend into a gooey puddle of I must save the boy emotion. Literally everything she thought and did became all about Max, the boy she's known for all of 5 minutes. When they're on the run from ACID and Max is suffering with whatever illness/withdrawal, all she thinks about is finding something to help him. When she's being handcuffed and led back to prison all she wonders about is how Max is doing, how he's being treated. I was almost thankful that ACID wiped her memories away again because it meant I didn't have to listen to Jenna whimper about Max for a few pages. Of course then she gets her memories back and it starts all over again. When she finds out that her mother wasn't her biological mother and in the process meets her bio mom? Jenna is all oh, ok that may take some getting used too but what if Max is being tortured in prison?
So with all of this naturally Jenna decides she must be a part of the final, “climatic” mission by the resistance. Right? I mean of course she has to be. Because not only must she save the boy (again), but she is the only one who could possible figure out ACID's plan and warn everyone and bring down the General. How the resistance movement ever survived without her is a wonder.
The ending is a pretty much a series of cute little tied bows. Big Bad ACID is brought to its knees. The leaders are imprisoned. Life is slowly getting better. And of course Jenna got her boy and lived happily ever after.
So much wasted potential.
This was my first Robin Carr book. Honestly I can't see myself reading another one. I was Bored. With a capital B. Couldn't wait for it to end - I was yelling at the last 15 pages for the characters to stop talking. Who talks like that in real life? No one I know that's for sure. It was too perfect. The characters never talked or for that matter argued over one another. And the anger. Geez, the anger directed at the men of the book was so over the top it was ridiculous.
The multiple plots might have been ok had they not contained almost every possible social issue out there. If was like reading a cross between a “very special” episode of a sitcom (minus even the hit of humor) and an episode of your favorite issues oriented talk show. Drugs/alcohol use with teens? Check. Husbands who cheats? Check. Mental illness? Check. Abuse? Check. Homophobia? Check. I think the only current events type issue missing was bullying - though I'm sure that was just a simple oversight on the part of the author.
Maybe if you're a huge fan of Carr, you might like this one. Otherwise, I'd skip it.
Fantastic read. Fast paced, well plotted, engaging characters. I was a little worried in the beginning because in just the first paragraph Madeline irritated me. Now I think that was just residual irritation from the book I'd just finished. Because by the halfway point, Madeline had become a favorite (loved her almost as much as I loved Ed). So much so that I missed her when she wasn't around.
A great mix of over the top, absurd parenting antics and reactions (anyone who has ever had to deal with parents will immediately identify real life counterparts to the fictional women) and normal family dynamics. But, along with the humor there were serious topics like bullying and abuse, none of which were handled lightly.
The author masterfully staged and plotted the who-done-it portion of the story. Throwing in clues and jagged bits of information without tilting her hand at who was the perpetrator or the victim. It took me a while to figure out that the interview excerpts weren't really police interviews. Love what they really turned out to be.
Really liked this one - so much so that I feel the need to read Liane Moriarty's other books.
It's been almost a week since I finished this and I still can't decide how to define this book. I can't even bring myself to call it a good read. Easy? Yes. Decent? Maybe. But good? No. Unlike with the first two books in the series (there were a couple of slow points in Catching Fire), I found myself suffering from shiny object syndrome. I'd slog through a couple of pages and suddenly remember something I wanted to google or need to check to see if I already had another book on my shelves or go make a peanut butter sandwich.
Full of stupidity and contrived events. Not sure if I was more annoyed or disappointed. Katniss, our once strong, plucky, determined heroine spent the vast majority of this book either sitting in a closet whimpering and sniffling or being unconscious. Because of this choice by the author, she is informed later, along with the reader, of everything that happened. Talk about passive story telling. When something did happen - and rarely did it actually happen to Katniss - she followed it up with another round of guilt and self pity (sob.I'm just a pawn.sob.) I so wanted Haymitch to dump a pitcher of water on her head multiple times.
Contrived scenarios abounded throughout those almost 400 pages. District 13 is entirely on their own. No Allies. No nothing. They barely have enough people to be considered a District (why didn't they change their name like every other newly formed country on the planet does). Did a meteor hit the other side of planet earth? Completely wiping out Europe? Africa? Asia? Even the original 13 colonies had France. Whatever. Supposedly Coin in all her wisdom and none of the friends she needs wanted to save Peeta not Katniss? Huh? Peeta was never, ever the one the hoards followed. Then you have an elite group of soldiers (Think Seal Team) sent on a very specific mission and you send in an unknown, self destructive person to join them. Someone who has the severe potential of getting the whole group captured or killed. I don't care how much you hate one particular soldier, no commander risks the whole elite team like that. It was simply Collins' contrived way of bringing Peeta back to the A story. All so we could overhear the Peeta/Gale late night chat. And don't even get me started on that conversation. How are either of those two even slightly ok with being the equivalent of Katniss deciding whether she wants Lucky Charms or Fruit Loops for breakfast.
Normally I can deal with character deaths. I may not like them, but I deal. I mean this is supposed to be dystopian. They're involved in a war. People will die. It's to be expected. But because this is a story, those deaths need to be important. They need to move the plot in some way, shape or form (unless of course they're the never met them before red shirt characters). I still can't figure out what purpose Finnick's death served story wise. Other than to give Katniss yet another opportunity to beat herself up. Would it really have been a bad thing to give one character an actual happy ending? Heck once again we don't even get to “see” something happen - we're just told. Prim's death was ridiculous. What type of leader sends in the medical/humanitarian aide into what is an active firefight, especially without first making sure the area is secure? And then intentionally drop bombs on that very spot. I thought 13 was a little short on population. The only thing her death allowed for was a reason for the author to shove Gale out of the way. It wasn't like Gale took himself out of the running on his own. No, it was based on the idea that maybe, possibly, Gale might have had the idea that eventually led to 13 bombing the hell out of their own soldiers, thus causing the death of a member of Katniss's family (never mind that he didn't put Prim there). That's nothing at all like Katniss and her actions causing the other districts to rise up and try to rest control from the Capitol which in turn led to the bombing of 12 and the deaths of Peeta's entire family. (Insert Eye Roll HERE)
In case you couldn't tell, I was Team Gale, even though I knew he probably didn't have a chance. However, I wish Katniss had stuck with one of her early statements about not picking either of them and being on her own. That I could have respected. Choosing Peeta because in essence he was the only one left wasn't her making a choice at all.
The one part of the book that got to me? In the last few pages when Katniss finds Buttercup. Not really surprising - I nearly burst into tears during those sappy Sarah McLachlin voice over ASPCA commercials. The idea of Buttercup finding his way home to District 12 through the barren landscapes and past the freaky predators out there...well...just...sniff.
If you've read the first two book in the series, then this one is probably worth reading to. Just don't expect to like it.
Catching Fire is pretty much a mixed bag for me. In some ways I liked it better than The Hunger Games but in others it didn't measure up. I appreciated that the characters were better drawn, had more depth. And not just those we've known for awhile (Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, etc), but also the previous victors, Gale's family, etc. I could see where the emotional stakes were high. And the last 10 pages were great action-wise HA. I knew 13 still existed. Now if I could just figure out where 13 is supposedly located, because the details we know DO NOT work together
The thing is, there was this over all been there, done that, bought the t-shirt feeling that hung over three quarters of the book. Basically from the party at the end of the victory tour on. Oh look. Another round of the games.Cinna creating another set of brilliant costumes. The prep team fawning all over Katniss. Katniss whining. Peeta being the gallant, stage present hero (so, so, so annoyed with the whole baby thing). Haymitch snarking. Ok, this wasn't a bad thing - I like Haymitch's drunken snark but anyway.... Katniss sniffling. And sniffling some more. Seriously at one point I wanted someone to kill Peeta just so she'd find some tree to go sob in and we could get a new narrator. And I realize that Katniss is a somewhat “innocent” 17 year old but boy is she dense. I knew the moment Plutarch thumbed the watch face showing the mockingjay that he was working against the Capitol.
So while I liked parts of this installment, the sum of the whole didn't quite measure up.
Fast paced, exciting plot, strong heroine. I was honestly surprised at how fast of a read it was. There were often moments where I told myself just one more page - so that I'd know what happened. There were moments that brought me near tears. Always give credit when an author gets me to care about characters enough to make me emotional over what happens to them. So in that sense, this book was excellent.
So why not 5 stars? Well...because. Because Collins has a way of telegraphing when the big “moments” are going to happen. You can see when the action and/or emotion starts to increase story-wise in preparation for that event that is supposed to make you gasp.
Because most of the minor characters were so shallowly drawn that they might as well have been posters tacked to the walls of the Hob or trees in the arena. Would it have harmed the story to know Foxface's real name? We know more about Buttercup the Cat than we do about most everyone else.
And because of the world building. Really, I need to learn that when my brain starts nagging me to look up something, I need to tell it to hush. I try, but then my mind picks up on some small-ish detail that I already know to be not quite right and it's off to figure out why. So Panem is supposedly what was once North America? That's a pretty big place. Canada is the second largest country by area in the world. The US is 4th. Mexico is top 20. District 12 is in what was referred to as Appalachia, an area that stretches from southwestern New York to northern Alabama. And yet, there's only like 8,000 people there. Now I'm assuming from the coal mine descriptions and the seasons, Collins is referring to somewhere in Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Still a big area, and yet there's only 8,000 people. Really? That's less than the small town I work in. And all of that supplies enough coal for everyone, everywhere? mmkay. Sure. And I have a bridge in District 13 that I'd like to sell (probably either the Mackinac or the Ambassador. I figure both are the closest to Canada where graphite is mined and the large amount of water needed for anything nuclear, putting them in what is probably 13). Yes, the map of Panem that I was trying to visualize was driving me nuts.
But other than that, I liked it.
Lots and lots of cliches. From the ridiculous love triangle to the clueless teen who finds out she has a mysterious family/past to the underdeveloped stereotypical cast of supporting characters. On top of that our heroine, Lexi has some sort of massive guilt complex that causes her to blame herself for everything that happens to every other person out there.
At times the writing was ok and even flowed fairly well, but those times only showed up in small amounts. Otherwise, there was too much exposition (remember it's always better to show not tell), too much repetition (does anyone actually say his/her eye color is aquamarine?) and too much silly, stilted dialogue (no one talks like that).
Gave it 2 stars because oddly - and I can't believe I'm saying this - there's a tiny part of me that wants to read book 2. Not sure if it's because the sarcastic portion of my brain wants to come out and play some more or if it's because I want to see if the author can pull off the big confrontation between Lexi and one of her potential love interests that should have appeared near the end of book 1.
Meh. As with the first book in the Camel Club series, this one started out fairly well. A little bit of action and a decent mystery to investigate. The problem was that didn't carry through the middle of the book. Not sure if it was because the 2 plots meandered too much or if there were just too many characters or what. It just didn't hold my attention. Things picked up at the end, but I wish it hadn't just been there to lead directly to the next book. Maybe book 3 will be better
Definitely a fun read! Good twists and turns along with an unusual premise. Yes, it required a bit of suspended disbelief, but who cares. At 80 or so pages I'm not expecting John LeCarre or even Robert B Parker. I just want to be entertained. This book more than accomplished that.
Oh and the main character had complete conversations with “his” cat. That alone was enough to make me like the story (because I never do that).
Enchanting. Magic and Belief. A book that made me smile - especially those last 10 or so pages.
This one has been on my to read list from the day it was published and now I'm trying to figure out why I waited so long to read it. Well of course I know why - I was worried. Worried that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. Worried that all the positive reviews were wrong and I'd only agree with the negative ones. Because there is nothing worse than finding out you absolutely hate a book that you really wanted to love. I really had nothing to worry about.
Is the Night Circus perfect? No, of course not. Are there issues that you kind of just have to ignore? Yep. But this is one of those stories where in the end everything comes together and all of that is enough to overcome those little things.
If you're looking for vast character development where everyone grows with the story, this isn't it. Marco and Celia, our main characters aren't the most interesting of the group (honestly I found Marco a bit dull at times). Naturally I wish there had been more on Celia and her emotions as she learned the art of illusion from Hector. Even Bailey (who I loved) at times felt like he forgot to tell the reader why he was so willing to take up the cause. But maybe why isn't the important question. Sometimes you're better off not asking for the explanation and instead just letting the experience itself take over. Don't over think things.
If you're looking for some kind of fantastical action thrill ride with magic, once again this isn't it. (I suggest you add The Prestige to your Netflix queue if that's what you're looking for.) This story is more of winding Sunday afternoon hike. A hike where you want to pay attention to and notice everything around you rather than keeping your eyes forever trained on the trail directly in front of you. Description abounds. Everywhere and about everything. Normally I'm not one for long winded, purple-ish prose. But in this case, it's needed and for the most part welcomed. It's those descriptions that set the scenes; that bring the circus and its story to life. See, this story isn't about Marco and Celia or Bailey or Poppet and Widget, or even Hector and Alexander. It's about The Circus and how all of them (plus the other mid-major characters) together and apart experience it.
Found this book thanks to the ginormous amount of hype surrounding it. “Thrilling” the reviews said. Smart. Riveting. Stunning ending. Adding to that - it's a stand alone. No series; no 2 more parts of trilogy to get through. It's less than 250 pages, so why not.
I liked it. It's a decent coming of age story. Mostly. I should have warned myself after seeing the dust jacket that warned the reader not tell anyone the ending. Seriously? That alone got me thinking there was no way the end was going to be that shocking. None whatsoever. (Little Bee did the same thing and I was even less impressed with that book) Unless all the characters turn out to be aliens living in Jersey. Or the main character is really a patient at a mental institution and has created this whole other identity that the doctors use to try to bring him/her back to reality (oh wait...I already read that book and saw the movie).
I was right. I figured out the big shocking truth hmm. The only place the teens ever go is Cuddledown. The only person who ever talks to/sees them in present tense is Cadence. What teen alive doesn't even send a text in response to something sent to them? Bet they're ghosts/part of her subconscious. Granted I wasn't sure of the circumstances, but still. Sure there was the 2 second feeling of “HA! I figured it out!” but that almost instantly changed to “huh. I figured it out.” Disappointing.
The other thing that drove me crazy was the writing style. Oddly worded phrases. Cut up sentences like someone was playing with one of those magnetic poetry kits you have on your fridge, punctuation optional.
So muchin lovethat equally desperate measuresmust be taken.
Apparently putting all those words on one line would have changed the story. There is also a fair amount of purple prose. Some of it is understandable as our rich and privileged narrator definitely has a flair for the dramatic. But even for her it's often over the top. There's a scene near the beginning that I had to read 3 times before I grasped that she hadn't actually been injured; that it was Cadence expressing her feelings in the most gruesome, theatrical way possible.
So putting aside the twist I figured out and the choppy structure and the screaming neon violet descriptions, what was there to like? I did say 3 stars after all. The details of what actually happened the night of the accident. I had come up with numerous theories - none of which were anywhere near happy and some were out in left field - so it was nice to have ends tied into fraying knots (fraying because there were some parts that were a bit implausible). I'd rather have that than a bunch of loose ends. Teens even if they weren't likable (this is goes for all of them, including Gat) trying to be adults, thinking they were doing the right thing, the best thing to bring back what they cherished the most. The family politics with its King Lear references was closer to reality than many want to think about. The almost discussions of race, money, love, kindness, faith, and seeing the world for what it really is. Sure it would have been nice if those themes had been really talked about instead of just touched upon, but that would have been too much to squeeze into so few pages.
I was doing pretty good with this one. It kept me entertained. I wasn't rolling my eyes at every other sentence Lindsay spoke (this is one of those series where I like the supporting characters better than the main one). I was thrilled that the “B” mystery wasn't a nonsensical throw away. Even better - the A and B mystery were actually connected I was even ok with the 2 dimensional, not going anywhere cheesy Marcus Dowling thing.
And then I got to the end. grr. Authors- when you come to the end of the story. It's the end. Stop writing. There is absolutely no need to add to the story. Really, there isn't. If there is a loose end or two, wrap it up quickly or leave it for the next book in the series. Don't add all kinds of melodrama i.e. don't out of the blue put the love interest in perilous danger in the epilogue to pull them right back out of it 1 1/2 pages later. It's not dramatic. It's a cheap trick that only serves to irritate the reader.
I wish I'd stopped reading when the mysteries were solved, I'd have been happier. So...probably 3.25 stars but I'm rounding down on this one.
For the most part I liked this book, even though I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters. I say for the most part because there is a section (after the lightning strike) where I was very, very tempted to throw things. The no-name narrator was on this selfish, woe is me, I am to blame for everything so I should be the most miserable person on the planet downward spiral that she felt she needed to subject everyone else to. Not that I felt bad for any of those people in her orbit. Honestly the only one I felt bad for was Giselle, the cat. Ok and maybe a little bit for Renny - he was the one I was most interested in learning more about. And even if they weren't likable, the characters weren't simple either. They were complex with secrets and motivations/fears that simmered under the surface.
It was the last chapter that made this book enjoyable. The trip, the butterflies, our narrator finally taking responsibility for herself but also washing away the self blame she heaped on her back for all those years.