pickGeorge was a McDreamy, and Lizzie was something shy of a nightmare. I should have been done with her since George deserved better. But something about Lizzie intrigued me, and I wanted her to understand the love in her life. The audio was available so I experienced both audio and print. It gave me Ann Patchett vibes, and I‘m not sure if it was the writing or the author‘s own narration of the story.
Nov 23 #BookSpin Cat: pub 2016-2019
I thought of the perfect image for this, a Jules Feiffer cartoon which ends with a man saying “I love you Dorothy!“ and her thinking, “What terribly poor judgement.“ Alas, I cannot find it.
This is a much rougher read than you'd expect, light in tone but serious in topic. I almost DNF'd but am glad I didn't, because I actually related quite a bit to depressed, pessimistic Lizzie, who's married to a kind, generous optimist.
New episode is up! We begin with sports talk, where one of us roots for a good team and the other does not. Is Matt being nice? Then we move onto literary criticism, as we discuss a 1960 Gore Vidal essay on Norman Mailer. And finally, we continue a tradition of picking a holiday movie to watch. If you like this type of episode give our Patreon a try and thanks for listening!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/37SXEZJjiWFbCWstXNvRBD
so-soThis was a cute romance. It was predictable. The only thing I did not like is the silly games that Olivia and Thad played once they acknowledged their feelings. It felt unnatural. Also the way Olivia accused Thad of something without facts or considering the source was not a great plot line.
pickTypical SEP romance. I had a good time reading but I've read so much of her work that I could kind of guess where all the plots were headed. I did laugh though because the subplots were so dramatic they fit with the opera theme. I'm assuming that was the point.
pickAfter a string of intense reads, romance was a nice change of pace. I've always been a big fan of SEP and When Stars Collide was a wonderful addition to her Chicago Stars series (though it also stands alone just fine). I loved the idea of pairing a renowned opera star with a famous football player, and enjoyed their personalities, banter, and chemistry. Though I did think there was just a little too much time spent on the mystery piece. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reading with my mom‘s puppy while I wait for showtime for the Black Widow. He‘s the sweetest little big guy!
pickEven though I have read better books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, I still found this one entertaining. I wish she had left the mystery out of the plot completely and just focused on the romance between Theo and Olivia. The mystery is so boring and the big reveal is very anticlamatic that it is just not necessary. I did like the chemistry between the hero and heroine and SEP's trademark humor is present and that is always welcome. 3.5/5.
