Still an amazing story. Glad I got to share it with my kiddo and see his curiosity about the events and the time period.
It was both comforting and scary how well parts of this book described some of my exact behaviors and struggles. Many of the real-life examples seemed fixed a tad neatly, but for the most part, the philosophy of Intuitive Eating rings true to me.
I'm not certain how I feel about this one in the end. There were a lot of cute things, but also plenty of irritating things. Probably 3 1/2 stars.
Wilder was a good writer, and her details about being a 19th century pioneer still bring it to life, despite her tendency to ignore the more unpleasant parts. However, I don't enjoy her books as much as I did when I was a girl. This might be my last re-read of the series.
Still a lovely read, and my kiddo liked it too. With grown-up eyes, I'm a bit bummed by Fern's change at the end though. Oh, well.
This is still my favorite of Laura's adult years. I also realized I definitely enjoy the ones where she's younger better. I think they're more fun. Onto the much more depressing The First Four Years.
Probably a 3 and a half. It was ok. I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as Hidden Pictures. Most of the characters were annoying, but I did find it interesting.
"Everything evens out in the end." Sure, Almanzo.
Definitely darker and more serious then the rest of the series. It's interesting, because Ingalls Wilder skipped some of the darker bits of her earlier life. I think I preferred the more down-to-earth aspects of this book, now that I'm not a kid. A couple of surprises in this for me, like the event with family friends the Boasts. I remembered reading it before after the fact this time, but when the audio of it played, it surprised me. This one hadn't been one of my favorites, so I didn't read it as often. The last time I read it I was definitely still a child, so decades ago. I liked it better now that I have more appreciation for bittersweet, and less for the too sweet.
Definitely darker and more serious then the rest of the series. It's interesting, because Ingalls Wilder skipped some of the darker bits of her earlier life. I think I preferred the more down-to-earth aspects of this book, now that I'm not a kid. A couple of surprises in this for me, like the event with family friends the Boasts. I remembered reading it before after the fact this time, but when the audio of it played, it surprised me. This one hadn't been one of my favorites, so I didn't read it as often. The last time I read it I was definitely still a child, so decades ago. I liked it better now that I have more appreciation for bittersweet, and less for the too sweet.
Quite sweet. The friends to lovers plot was well-done, and I always appreciate an "invisible" character becoming seen.
I enjoyed this one. The main character was too good at everything, but it was still fun how he was written.
I enjoyed this one immensely. The connections to the movie Thelma and Louise is obvious, but the ending gave me more of a Fried Green Tomatoes vibe. The move, that is, not the book. Anyway, it was fun.
I don't like to give books stars that drop their rating just because they weren't my particular cup of tea. So, I would say this was a 2 and a half to 3 star read. It wasn't terrible, and it had some cute stuff. I also found it repetitive and too much over analyzing in the inner monologue. I tend to over analyze in my inner monologue, so you would think I would have some patience for it in fiction, but I don't. It's one of the things that has killed a lot of recent YA for me. Anyway, the cryptid stuff was kind of cute, even if the book didn't seem to realize that a person might wear an X-Files shirt because they were a fan of the show and not necessarily because they believe in aliens.
I had to highlight several passages in my ebook copy, because they rang so true of my experiences in public education. How hard staff works, how important but also thankless it can be, how district interference can be harmful, the soul-crushing and engagement wrecking pressure of data and high-stakes testing, and how it's often attacked by both sides of the political spectrum. I also appreciated reading a book that humanized the staff that try so hard every day. Oh, and it was spot-on about the childishness of professional development meetings!
It's been a while since I read one of these, and they are very good! This one was no different. I enjoy seeing the school girl life in England in the 30s, but it was just as fun traveling with Hazel and Daisy to Hong Kong.
I would give it 3 stars, because I mostly enjoyed it. There were times I wanted to shake or smack the characters for foolishness or stubbornness, including the MC. It had some annoying things, like the similes and one character constantly being called "Ancient"
This has been such a fun series. I'm bummed this is the last book. My kiddo and I have enjoyed reading them together.
It kind of dragged a little at the end, but it was a fun read.
This was cute. I enjoy this kind of wish-fulfillment alternate history.
I enjoyed H&M, but I liked this one better. The conflicts felt more organic to the plot, Mary Georgina and rest were so fun, and I loved the movie references. Looking forward to the next one!
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I enjoyed this, even though it had the secret cliche. Very cute. Definitely giving the sequel a try!
It was cute. I liked how it was resolved, and the fact that the idea of therapy doesn't stay a boogeyman all the way through the end. As a counselor-in-training, I gave it 4 stars for that alone. I definitely identified with Fin's anxiety, but found the character kind of irritating. I think I'm just too old a lady to read MG as just a fun break from adult books anymore. When a 12 year old character thinks that her mom should mind her own business, I don't go, I hear you girl. Instead I think, kid, you ARE your mom's business, in that she is LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU.
Anyway, it definitely informs how I read them.
Anyway, it definitely informs how I read them.
I'm not certain how to rate this one. I liked the first story better. The second story had some good things, but I think it was longer than it needed to be. Not my favorite Beagle.
The only other book I've read of Ali Hazelwood's was Check & Mate. I found that book engaging, despite finding the MC annoying. Since it was a YA, maybe I was kind of hard on her, but I enjoyed this book so much more. Gotta love snarky, but self-sacrificing characters.
I liked this, although the explanation was a bit of a let down. I'm not certain what amount of stars I would give it though, possibly 3.5. Since that doesn't exist, I'll just say I found it worth reading, and save the stars.