Helpful Score: 2
2.0 out of 5 stars - Romance and self-discovery, but a very long journey...
I have not read any previous novels by Marisa de los Santos so I had no expectation of this book purportedly about a strong and "magical" friendship tested by a separation. I read other reviews that praised this highly, so I was excited to read it but thoroughly disappointed when I did.
The main themes in the book center around the following: when you love someone, you have to go 'all in' -- and that there is always room for one more (in your heart? your house?) -- and people in your life may be "gone but here." Hmmm, really? That seems obvious enough to most of us and nothing new to any adult who's had some life experience including tragedy and loss.
The characters did not seem fully developed into more than stereotypes of romantic fiction nor did they captivate me in any way and I just did not like any of them. The plot is trite and unbelievable with a "seek and find" game as three adults and a child traipse across the world in a frenzy to find an old friend who had left them behind years ago and moved on with her life.
If you like predictable and slow moving novels with little tidbits of facts that are meant to tell rather than show, you might like this. At times, I felt the author was trying to "show off" as she went on and on about every little thing from the color of something to a thought in the head of a character. I will not look for another by this author.
Pass. I need to go clear my palate with a good thriller!
I have not read any previous novels by Marisa de los Santos so I had no expectation of this book purportedly about a strong and "magical" friendship tested by a separation. I read other reviews that praised this highly, so I was excited to read it but thoroughly disappointed when I did.
The main themes in the book center around the following: when you love someone, you have to go 'all in' -- and that there is always room for one more (in your heart? your house?) -- and people in your life may be "gone but here." Hmmm, really? That seems obvious enough to most of us and nothing new to any adult who's had some life experience including tragedy and loss.
The characters did not seem fully developed into more than stereotypes of romantic fiction nor did they captivate me in any way and I just did not like any of them. The plot is trite and unbelievable with a "seek and find" game as three adults and a child traipse across the world in a frenzy to find an old friend who had left them behind years ago and moved on with her life.
If you like predictable and slow moving novels with little tidbits of facts that are meant to tell rather than show, you might like this. At times, I felt the author was trying to "show off" as she went on and on about every little thing from the color of something to a thought in the head of a character. I will not look for another by this author.
Pass. I need to go clear my palate with a good thriller!
Marisa De Los Santos is one of my favorite authors, and I was anxiously awaiting this book! The characters are very real and the story flows. It's a quick read that I intentionally slowed down to make it last longer!
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
From the description of this book, I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into and this was my first trip with Marisa de los Santos, after reading this book I will definitely be reading her collection and looking forward to more! Told from Pen's point of view, I didn't realize until the end how she saw life and their tri-friendship through rose colored glasses and avoided seeing some of the negative moments in their friendship.
From the description of this book, I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into and this was my first trip with Marisa de los Santos, after reading this book I will definitely be reading her collection and looking forward to more! Told from Pen's point of view, I didn't realize until the end how she saw life and their tri-friendship through rose colored glasses and avoided seeing some of the negative moments in their friendship.
Belong to Me was my first introduction to this writer and she did not disappoint me with this novel. I loved this story! The characters of Pen, Cat and Will came alive on the pages immediately and drew me into their friendship. Marisa de los Santos know how to create a wonderful world in which you'll want to stay for awhile.
I liked Pen and Will, but didn't care for Cat. So it was hard to see the glue that kept these three together and then for all those years to pass with no word from her and that Pen and Will were still so captivated? I was ready for them to move on. And then they did. Despite that, it was a good story with good resolution at the end and I enjoyed reading it.
