This book was just okay. I think I liked the setting and the magic, but every time they repeated how the family members leave but always come back, I was cringing. I liked the little love story though, and even though I knew they would end up together, I liked all the pining. It was just an okay book.

The second half of the book really picked up, but I found the main character kind of annoying.

Good

I love this book.

Oh the length of this book in audio version... I really struggled to finish this book. The first half of the book seemed to drone on forever, without ever really getting interesting. The second half of the book is where it finally picked up! The tennis driven family of 6 in a twisting and turning whirlwind of who did it, where is mom, who is this stranger living with my parents, did dad kill mom was intriguing to say the least. I did watch the series after I read the book, it took some different turns, but ultimately told the same story. I would recommend watching the series, as it does the book justice, though reading the book - know it gets better in the second half when things are moving faster!

Great premise poorly executed.

Another young adult genre read. This one was personally driven by my love of poet, Pablo Neruda. I loved the author's interpretation of what his childhood was like (with creative liberties of course). It seems he had a very stereotypical Hispanic upbringing, where he needed to be more of a man's man, and not a writer, dreamer and collector. Seeing how he breaks the mold of what is expected of him and becoming who he is destined to be is heartwarming.

Wow! This was a one of a kind "reading" experience! I 100% recommend the audio version of this book. From the snippets of Alicia singing and playing the piano to the short poignant guest speakers at the beginning of a few chapters made the audio version stand out fantastically. Learning about how Alicia came to be in her current stage in life, the way she supports women in all the ways she can, and how she has kept her marriage and family at the forefront of her life (ahead of her career) was amazing to read about. Now, I do not care for books that go into one's political views, and she does quite a bit of that in her book (whether I agree or disagree with political views, I do not look to celebrities to influence me, I will do my own research and come to my own opinions). Though, I can't discount the fact that listening to her tell her life's truth and showcase her artistry made me look past those political moments.

I love to read memoirs of comedians. Tina Fey did not disappoint, though be ready for her comedic styling throughout the book. It seems almost like she is moving from topic to topic like someone seeing a squirrel run past. Though with her snippets/chapters being short it worked for me, as it did not seem like topics were droning on for too long. Knowing more about her behind the scenes struggle to be picked for scenes because of her look not being so easily manipulated, was interesting to say the least. She's right, we imagine she was in more scenes (probably because I loved her characters) than she really was. Her stories of Monica Lewinksy and Sarah Palin were funny to hear about! Ultimately a nice change to the novels I've been reading.

Nice book on the Signs that we get from the universe and the ones we loved who have passed. Many instances of Signs recieved by people are shared in the book, which are quite astonishing to note.