kindredspiritbuddyread

Anne of Manhattan: A Novel | Brina Starler

🔴I like how she characterizes it. It was the same but altered from the original which is good for a retelling, lol.
🔴I don‘t like E2L because I don‘t thing they were enemies. Rivals or competition,yes.
🔴Yes for a romantic fiction, for reality also kind of yes. It was resolved a little to neatly. It did leave it open for a sequel. I hate that Gil never apologized about the job and waiting to correct it.
@BarbaraJean #kindredspiritbuddyread

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TheAromaofBooks

Anne of Manhattan: A Novel | Brina Starler

pan

As a story, this one was okay, but as an Anne of Green Gables/Anne of the Island retelling, I felt like it failed abysmally. So much so that I ranted at great length on GR, which is unusual for me haha Short version? The characters were simply wrong, especially Anne, who is completely lacking in any sign of imagination or shenanigans. An Anne who is perfectly happy living in a crowded apartment in the city and never talks about being outside? ⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) This Anne was just a regular, boring college student obsessed with studying, work, and Gilbert, and it just didn't work for me. Also, personal preference, but I've shipped Anne and Gilbert since I was ten. Reading explicit sex scenes between them gave me the same kind of heebie jeebies I imagine I would get if my parents started telling me about what they do in the bedroom. No thank you.

However, looking forward to seeing if I was ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) in the minority for this #KindredSpiritBuddyRead @BarbaraJean 😂

And if anyone is interested in the rant... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5357471361 1y

mabell Your comment comparing Anne and Gilbert‘s steamy scenes to your parents killed me 🤣 Perfect analogy! Just no 😆😆😆 1y

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AlaMich Ewwww!!! 😳 1y

Michael_Gee Your last note on your review seems spot on: using the established characters as a short cut. Wow, this sounds so so bad. Thank you for sharing your review! 1y

vlwelser I remember kind of liking this. But at face value. Not as an Anne retelling. Definitely not enough shenanigans for Anne. 1y

BarbaraJean I‘m halfway through and I‘m feeling similarly, though not yet at the rant stage. And OMG YES about the sex scenes feeling ooky. It‘s been interesting seeing what this author does with a contemporary retelling, but so far, it‘s just not Anne to me. I will lower my expectations for the rest of the book…😆 (Also, I‘m bookmarking your rant for when I finish the book!! 😁) (edited) 1y

TheAromaofBooks @mabell @AlaMich @Michael_Gee @vlwelser @BarbaraJean - Every time I post a (very) negative review for a book, I immediately start to feel bad, because other people liked it, so what if I keep someone who would have liked it from reading the book?? 😂 So be sure to read some positive reviews as well, because some people actually did love this one haha 1y

TheAromaofBooks @vlwelser - If this hadn't tried to be an Anne retelling, it would probably have been a 3 or 3.5* read for me. Not super exciting, but not terrible, either. I just wanted more Anne-ness when I was reading this, and it just wasn't there! 1y

TheAromaofBooks @mabell - I usually prefer closed-door romances anyway, but I was trying to figure out why these felt especially ick for me, and was like, I think it's just because I've known Anne and Gilbert for too long 😂 1y

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I actually love the concept of this one, and Anne of the Island is one of my favorite books. I just wanted more shenanigans with a group of friends having fun and less Gil and Anne being all angsty, I think. 1y

Daisey It‘s a personal opinion, but I absolutely do not think you should feel bad about this kind of ranting review. I love reading these kind of reviews as they often give me a truer picture of what to expect for myself as a reader than gushing reviews. In this case, your review made me laugh and kind of want to hate read this book where I had no interest before! I also feel the “updates” you noted are often why I tend to avoid contemporary retellings. 1y

thebackyardgnome Aww, thr concept sounded great, but yes, writhng sex scenes about Anne-verse cjaracters is a tightrope act. And, dear @TheAromaofBooks , don't feel guilth - I felt guilty about my review of The Boy In Striphrd Pajamas, but now thst I think of it, every opinion matters as muxh, and if it's negativr, it can also help others form their opinion. A movie critic from thr locsl newspaper had yhis luck - if he hated a film, it was a hit, and vice versa:D 1y

willaful I feel totally the same and honestly see no point to this book having been written unless you just wanna see A&G get it on. :-\ I've stalled at the flashback to 7th grade because I would rather read the real scene than this one. 1y

willaful It's a shame too, because reading your review and being reminded of the actual conflicts makes me think that an updated version could be really interesting. But you have to work with what was actually there! And I really think I prefer retellings that don't use exactly the same names. That's too close. 1y

TheAromaofBooks @Daisey - I do feel like a lot of contemporary romances spend a lot more time now focusing on sex & diversity quotas instead of an actual story & character development, & it's really discouraging to me, because it's a genre I sometimes love. 1y

TheAromaofBooks @Daisey @thebackyardgnome - I do think that negative reviews can help potential readers, because sometimes I read a negative review and think, “but those are all things I like!“ so I go for it 😂 1y

TheAromaofBooks @willaful - I feel bad because this author is trying to fit three books' of relationship-building into one fairly short book, so it would be impossible for her to truly capture the depth of the history between these two characters. But I think she cheated her readers by leaning into the sexual aspect of their relationship and skimming the friendship part. This could have been a lot of fun focusing on Anne's romantic ideals & her realizing ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) as she did in the originals, that true romance goes beyond someone being tall, dark, and handsome, and saying the right words. Somehow, in this book I just never felt like she ended up valuing Gil in the same way that original Anne does. 1y

DivineDiana Agree with your review. Glad to know that zI am not alone. 🙂 14mo

83 likes20 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Emily's Quest | L.M. Montgomery

so-so

Much as it pains me to get a Montgomery book a so-so, Emily just wasn't for me. Even though this wasn't a long book, it seemed to take forever without a lot happening beyond Emily mooning around and making poor decisions about men. I also wasn't a fan of Montgomery cramming "years and years" passing into the last chapter before letting Emily marry the right guy. I'm very glad to have finally read this trilogy, but I doubt I will reread these.

TheAromaofBooks #KindredSpiritBuddyRead @BarbaraJean
#SeriesRead2021 @TheSpineView
#Scarathlon2021 #TeamSlaughter @Clwojick
#Screamathon - 4954/8000pgs @4thhouseontheleft
#Spookoween - 17/25bks @TheSpineView
#OutstandingOctober - 1545/2700pgs @Andrew65 3y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Hey! I sent you a package and just wondering if you got it or if it‘s lost! ❤️ 3y

TheSpineView Excellant! 3y

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TheAromaofBooks @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks - I did get it!!! It came Tuesday but I haven't posted it yet 😂 I even took a picture of the book today so I could let you know it arrived!! 3y

TheAromaofBooks @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks - Then my husband got home from work when I was typing that and I got distracted and hit send before saying - Thank you!!! ❤ ❤ ❤ 3y

Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 3y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TheAromaofBooks you‘re very welcome! I‘m glad it arrived safely! Sometimes things get lost ! ❤️ 3y

BarbaraJean Aw… in spite of all its issues (and I think this book has the most issues of the series!), I still love Emily so much! And yet, as I think I mentioned to you before, Anne is a much more frequent re-read for me. It‘s always interesting to see which books resonate more (or less) and why. Glad you joined in for this buddy read—I‘ve enjoyed reading along with you! 3y

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I also think that so many books we come to love or dislike depending on when we meet them in life - I may have felt really differently about Emily if I had met her when I was in my late-teens/early 20s & also mooning around making poor decisions about men 😂 But my almost-40-year-old self grew a little impatient with her. I also think I would have enjoyed it more if we had gotten a little more time of her actually being happy ⬇ 3y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) with the right guy instead of so much of the book being them miscommunicating!! 3y

rubyslippersreads @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I love Emily, but the first book is the only one I read over and over again. 3y

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TheAromaofBooks

Emily of New Moon | Lucy M Montgomery

pick

I first read the Anne books when I was pretty young, maybe 10 or 11. At the time, Mom told me not to read the Emily books because they were "too sad." In retrospect - & reading these for the first time - I think it may also have to do with the fact that the Emily books handle some topics not as suitable for younger readers. They definitely are more serious (realistic?) & Emily herself lacks the humor that carries Anne through so many difficult⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) situations. While I was glad to read this one & am continuing the series (thanks to the #KindredSpiritBuddyRead !!) I don't see myself rereading these as I have the Anne books. I don't connect to serious, ambitious Emily nearly as well, & the adults in her life make the story difficult to read at times. A soft pick for me, but one I'm glad to finally get around to reading!!

#SeriesRead2021 @TheSpineView 3y

thegirlwiththelibrarybag I picked this one up after watching Russian Doll on Netflix - I haven‘t gotten around to reading the sequels but I‘m glad I read the first one. (edited) 3y

rabbitprincess I have this exact edition! I like both Anne and Emily but consider myself more of an Emily person. I think I relate more to Emily‘s seriousness and reserve than to Anne‘s gregariousness 😁 3y

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LeeRHarry I have just finished Anne of GG for the first time - I thought it was very sweet and loved all the nature writing- would have loved it if I‘d read it when I was younger 😊 3y

TheAromaofBooks @thegirlwiththelibrarybag - I'm definitely glad to read them - I've meant to do so for years & even bought the trilogy used on ebay back in 2016, but it took this buddy read to inspire me to actually pick them up!!! 3y

TheAromaofBooks @rabbitprincess - I'm not sure if I would feel differently about Emily if I had read these books when I was younger? It's impossible for me to be even kind of objective about the Anne books because I have so much nostalgia tied up in them as well! 3y

TheAromaofBooks @LeeRHarry - I know some people find the series to be a bit too saccharine, but I have so many good memories of reading them that I can't even pretend to be objective! 😂 3y

BarbaraJean I know what you mean about not re-reading these like Anne. I've always said I like the Emily books better than Anne, but I've re-read Anne FAR more times. Anne is a comfort read for me, while Emily is not so much. Even though I do relate more to Emily (and think they are better-written books), you've articulated it well for me--their seriousness, the unpleasant adults, and the more difficult topics mean Anne is the more re-readable of the two! 3y

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I think now that I have a better idea of what to expect from these books, I'm enjoying them more. I do think that Emily's story is more realistic and that Emily herself is a more believable character than Anne who, after the first 11 years of her life, seems to be constantly under a good-luck star. But the Anne books are full of characters & places I love to revisit - I haven't really warmed to anyone in Emily's world in that way. 3y

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