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I was excited because I loved Water for Elephants, the other novel by this author, and I thought the premise of a young woman looking for the Loch Ness monster was interesting, but it was just a love story with some perfectly timed plot points to deliver a happy and predictable ending.

A page turner/I couldn‘t pull myself away from the audiobook to read a physical book. Recently married Maddie and her husband (who faked a handicap to avoid WWII), head to a remote village in Scotland after disgracing themselves at a high society party. There Maddie learns some ugly truths about her husband and makes some true friends. Personally, I think this is even better than Water For Elephants.

Tepid historical fiction with unlikable characters in this fish-out-of-water novel. Three feckless and privileged young Americans travel to a village in the Scottish Highlands to find the Loch Ness monster. Because of the journey, Gruen‘s main character, Maddie Hyde, realizes what a monster her husband Ellis is and discovers her true self in this foreign land.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com
#booked2022 #setinaninnlodgeorhotel

2.5 star
I loved Water for Elephants and thought the premise of this book sounded good.... unfortunately it fell very, very flat. None of the main characters were at all likable and the story drags on and on. I had high expectations and this book didn't deliver at all.

Stopped at my library
Maybe one of these will pull me out of my slump
Stopped myself at 5 📚
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections Eva Jurczyk
Mrs. Houdini Victoria Kelly
At the Water's Edge Sara Gruen
Full Dark, No Stars Stephen King
The Great Witch Louisa Morgan

I was a little skeptical about the “monster” aspect but it all worked with the storyline. #audiobook

Linda Holmes‘ linked to this article in the latest Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. She is right that it‘s a gripping and sad tale. I have only read the tagged book.

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/03/24/a-bestselling-author-became-obsess...

Loving this book. Great characters a few you want to smack.

Slow paced intro with initially unlikable characters, though Maddie shows character development by the end. Things eventually get rolling & the story grows legs & depth. The setting (time & place) is well-constructed. Gruen's writing is beautiful & flowery without being overly sappy. The final third of the book moves quite briskly & ends with a bang. It's well turned out & though it had some problems, it was well worth the investment to read.

@Mynameisacolour Thank you so much for sending this to me. 😊 I‘m sorry it has taken me so long to acknowledge, but it made my day!!

I keep stumbling upon books recently that reinforce how fortunate I am, as a woman, to live in our current time. This book is really good, but godalmighty. . . the lead character, though financially and socially privileged, has sustained a life of verbal, emotional, and sometimes physical abuse at the hands of family and supposed friends. I spent a good bit of this book wishing I could punch characters in their smug, posh faces. 😂

My great aunt passed away this week after suffering a series of strokes, just before her 89th birthday. She was a really cool lady who loved to read and would occasionally send me a postcard with just a list of books she had read and enjoyed recently. I'm going to try to add a couple from her most recent postcard to my May reading list.

2020 #12

#booksetbywater #februaryfeels @Eggs

I can't get through this one. The protagonist is awfully annoying. It seemed like a fun read, given to me by my grandma, but I don't think I can spend anymore time with it.

This was an absolute beautiful book! I was so impressed last year when I read Water for Elephants, and Gruen's writing still astounds me. I loved everything about this book!

I learned a new word!

I loved the setting of this book. Loch Ness during World War II made for the perfect desolate and magical place to set a love story.#elfies #tbrread #wintergames

Thank goodness for audiobooks when there‘s a lot of baking to be done. #elfies #WinterGames

Polished off the hot chocolate and the book! Very well written story. WWII, friendship, love, betrayal, death and must not forget...the Loch Ness monster. Sounds like a lot, but the author pulls it all off in this beautiful novel.

A friend of mine surprised me with this book so that I‘d have something Scotland-related to read during my journey across the pond to Glasgow. I can‘t wait to dive into this book! (I‘m also in love with the fact that it matches my office supplies 🤓)

I was riveted with this one from the first chapter and read it in a day—something I rarely do. It has a perfect balance of history, intrigue, romance, and transformation. Gruen‘s talent for writing characters and plot kept my eyes trained on the page. Superb!

I‘m torn between Pick and So-so on this one. It‘s a quirky story with great characters, but it just didn‘t ‘live up to ‘Water for Elephants.‘ I had built this book up in my mind so it was probably destined to disappoint me. It‘s good and in time I will probably read it again, but right now it‘s not my favourite.

I wasn‘t sure what I would get with this one... Magical realism? Historical fiction? Dark history? It ended up being just up my alley - historical fiction for the purpose of character development, authentic characters, but not too gritty that it‘s hard to read. And just a tiny bit of maybe fantasy 🙃 Overall I really enjoyed this one and would read again!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Also, I love Scotland. I visited for 2mos when I was young and fell in love 💛

I don't know, I couldn't do it. Maybe too much whining? Maybe i just wasn't in the right place mentally after reading Schindler's List vs this story, a little too light for wwii.

#theresotherfishinthesea #bail #nessy

I enjoyed this book. I had bailed on it before, but this time I liked it. I was a little annoyed at times, it could be slow. But all in all it was good.

“I stared at him for a long time. If he wanted to end his search for the beast, he need look no further than a mirror.”

Set in 1945, Maddie goes on a journey with her husband and his friend to find the Loch Ness monster. She had no way of knowing how this trip would change her! Not a bad read, but also not a page turner.

A little slow and uncertain at first, it ultimately became one I couldn't put down. I liked the way the characters were crafted, even if I didn't always like the characters themselves. I especially loved the women and the way the war is discussed through their experiences. (Picture from Google images).

After a busy day of cleaning, meal planning, and prepping for the week, I finally get a few moments to read! Love these quiet moments before I crash..

At first, I wasn‘t much into this #audiobook, as the 3 main characters were vapid socialites, and the narrator read it a bit too fast. But over time, the story of Maddie‘s awakening became very interesting; and the inclusion of some paranormal, mysterious elements plus a handsome Scottish love interest made it a fun read. Set in the final months of WWII.

I'm interested in the tagged book and plan to see it through, but I can't say I'm loving it. p. 146 of 665. It's a lot of drama around nothing. I don't like the main characters, but I think that's the point, so I'm going to keep reading and see where it goes. But it is an impressive 40° and sunny!

Getting ready for some reading by candlelight this evening. For some reasom the subtle smell of pure beeswax candles just seems like a perfect compliment to a historical fiction novel like this

Just starting this, with high hopes since I enjoyed Water for Elephants. Really need to find time for a trip to the library to get some physical books, but thank goodness for ebooks in the meantime!

So I've finished one book (Hey Nostradamus) briefly dipped into two others ('How To Love' and 'Cannibalism' - and yes, the irony does occur to me 😅)

Now I've decided to settle in with this one for a bit. My husband bought it for me years ago and got it signed for me at an author event in Toronto. Been gazing at it but not taking the plunge - that changes today! #24in48 #24in48readathon @24in48

Loving Justine Eyre‘s narration of this novel!

Worst book I've read in a long time. Boring characters and little plot development. And this thing was a N.Y. Times bestseller?!! Yeah, right... 😬👎👅

I feel bad because this was a buddyread with my Litsy Pen Pal @MaGoose and I picked it out, but I just can't get through it right now. It is hard to get into and the characters are annoying and I am not in the mood to be annoyed right now. It is my fault, my attention span and tolerance is terrible during winter. I had high hopes for it because I loved Water for Elephants.

I can't believe I waited so long before reading this one. First off the search for the Loch Ness monster was an interesting premise but I loved the story of the woman finding herself in a foreign land and the quiet romance between her and Angus. I loved Angus and hated Ellis, showing how well Gruen wrote her characters. Love!

While WWII rages in the background, three wealthy young socialites take a jaunt to Scotland to prove that the Loch Ness monster is real.

Once in Scotland, their true characters are revealed. Not gonna lie: I wanted Ellis DEAD from very early on.

I don't usually do seasonal reading, and I don't think this book is billed as such - it's more historical fiction, but the tagged book is my buddy read this month with @Eggbeater. Not scary, but they're after Nessie, so we may be in for a #monster sighting. We'll see.

Reading my first monster story for #screamathon. Hunting the Loch Ness monster and learning your marriage is a shame during WW2 is not for the faint of heart, especially when you keep spotting crows and other bad omens. I love the cover has the overlay of the monster and you can only see it at certain angles. I liked Water for Elephants better.

I absolutely adore Gruen‘s writing style and this is no exception. This historical fiction takes place in Scotland during ww2 and I love how it was laid out. Definitely a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Getting ready for an October buddy read with @Eggbeater .

Pick! Another great historical novel from Sara Gruen. Yes, there is the somewhat silly component of the Loch Ness monster, but overlook that, and you get a solid novel set in Scotland during WWII. I enjoyed it - the audiobook is very well done. 👍

1. Chicken and gnocchi
2. I loved the babysitters club
3. Sequence
4. Fall

I am loving my #currentread #readingresolutions @Jess7