Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady

3 reviews

bookish_leslie's review against another edition

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2.75

I was sold on "The Parent Trap" comparisons, but Kat's character really ruined this book for me.

But first, Blake. All of my stars are for Blake. She made a couple of questionable choices
(ahem: breaking up with Noah after Kat’s hissy fit at the restaurant, for example)
, but overall I liked her, sympathized with her character, and admired her relationship with her grandpa, as well as her resilience, work ethic, and ability to stay respectful and calm in response to Kat’s temper tantrums.

Okay, now Kat. She pissed me off. In fact, I consistently wanted to punch her in the face. She was selfish, shallow, entitled, bratty, cruel, and insufferably immature and childish. Misunderstanding something when you're 12 is one thing, but to be almost 30 and still relying on assumptions and old stories while lacking any kind of critical thinking or perspective taking skills? And then screaming at someone...repeatedly...because of those assumptions? Really? Say what you will about projection, I was honestly just embarrassed for, and enraged by, her. Are there actually people like this in real life? Please say no…

I couldn't even get on board with Kat's character arc because her changes came out of left field and were so abrupt that they felt very jarring and completely unnatural and unbelievable.

This actually brings me to another issue I had with this book, which is that there was way too much happening to really do any of it justice. We had the best friends to half-sisters rivalry, the douchebag dad storyline, plus the grief and complicated feelings over his death, the beach house fixer upper, the grandpa with Alzheimer's, not one, but two romances, and some self-discovery stuff, among other things. All of these plot lines were interesting and had the potential to be something great, but there wasn’t enough time to properly develop, explore, or explain any of them. Unfortunately that meant there was a lot of telling vs. showing, and the characters metaphorically got from point a to point b at the snap of a finger, without describing or explaining how they got there. Each plot line felt rushed, skipped over, and incomplete.

Let's just say that this book obviously wasn't for me and leave it at that. To end on a positive note, I did love the setting in Destin, Florida. It had all of the summer beach vibes.

What To Expect:
  • Dual POV
  • Beach vibes
  • Sibling rivalry / sisters
  • Forced proximity
  • Miscommunication
  • Social media influencer
  • Fixer upper
  • 2x romances
  • Cheesy pet talk

Themes: Sisterhood, family dynamics, home, belonging, forgiveness, healing, identity, self-discovery 

Spice: 3🌶️
Open door / steamy scenes with explicit language and detailed descriptions, but not the central focus of the book
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jennastopreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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cgp1234's review against another edition

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3.0

This had all the ingredients for a book I should love, but it just fell flat for me. I wasn't particularly invested in either of the romances, I  wasn't particularly invested in either of the girls' familial relations outside of each other, but my biggest complaint is that I was only barely invested in them reconciling with each other. I also think Millennials and older should stop writing characters who work in social media because it always comes across as so out of touch. 
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