Chassidy M. Coon

Too long

Reviewed: 06-30-23

This would have been a great, 4 or 5 star short story, but it was far too long for a full length novel. The narration was amazing though!

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Fun!

Reviewed: 02-18-23

I read the hard cover version when it was first released. Because the print version had a lot of photos that they obviously couldn’t put into audio, this version has a bunch of fun cameos. It was a different experience and totally worth it for anyone who is an Office Ladies fan!

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A beautiful story of friendship

Reviewed: 08-06-18

I highly recommend listening to this one. Joe Barrett as narrator was phenomenal, particularly with Owen’s voice.

At times the novel felt too drawn out and I’d find myself tuning out from time to time. I suspect this is one of those books I’d have to reread in order to fully appreciate.

In the end, I decided on a 4 star rating because this was a beautiful and moving story.

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Don't waste your time

Reviewed: 09-10-16

There was so much I disliked about this book, I'm not sure where to begin.

First, I would hardly categorize the book as psychological. If you're looking for a thriller, this is definitely not the book for you.

Second, the characters were not only unlikeable (which is not a deal breaker for me) but they were also unbelievable. The first half of the book was devoted to Catherine's "woe is me. I'm rich but money can't buy happiness. But I can't be happy without money either." I nearly stopped reading because of her but I thought for sure the "twist ending" would be worth it. It wasn't.

Third, the twist was predictable, boring, and unrealistic. I could say so much more, but I don't want spoilers here.

Fourth, many of the characters seemed to be thrown in for no apparent reason (other than to, perhaps, fill pages).

My suggestion - if you start reading and can't get into it, find reviews with spoilers, then move on and pick up your next read.

(So why didn't I give it a one star? I reserve one star for books that go on the DNF pile.)

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4 people found this helpful

Disappointed

Reviewed: 11-19-15

Overall, I was disappointed with this book for various reasons. The only two positives I can say is that it did make me laugh at times and Poehler was occasionally insightful. I listened to the audio book and I definitely think audio is the way to go for this book.

Now for the disappointments:

1. Poehler starts the book going on and on about how much she hates writing the book, how hard it is, and how much she doesn't want to do it. I think she intends to be funny/cute/charming but it just comes across as annoying and greedy (because if we buy the book, she'll make lots of money).

2. Most of the book is "fluff." A lot of chapters are irrelevant and seem to be there only to fill up space. I doubt the book would sell if it were only 50 pages, which is probably about the length the book would be if you left only the substantial writing.

3. She tries to come across like she's just your friend next door who happens to know a bunch of celebrities (and we know this because of the non-stop name dropping). It felt forced and fake.

4. I don't like it when celebrities (or really anybody) glorify the use of drugs. I don't need to know which drugs she has tried and which she hasn't.

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2 people found this helpful

A Must Read

Reviewed: 07-15-15

Any additional comments?

This book started as a gossipy, fun beach read and quickly surprised me by addressing some heavy topics as well. I gave this 5 stars because it was fun and witty from start to finish, but it wasn't just a "fluff" read. This is a story that will stay with me and I would highly recommend to anyone.

As an aside, although I am nothing like Madeline, I found her highly relatable. It is so easy to find ourselves thinking that our own lives are so filled with drama and "calamities" that we lose sight of the bigger picture. There are often worse things happening behind the closed doors of our neighbors and in the rest of the world, in general.

The narration was perfect - one of the best!

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Narration was better than expected

Reviewed: 03-25-15

I was hesitant to buy this one since so many reviews said the narration was horrible. I will agree that a few times he sounded disinterested to the point of being annoying. However, overall I felt that the narration was perfect for the story. I can't really explain it better than that. It just felt right to me.

As for the story, this was one of my favorites. It was one of those rare reads that you never want to end.

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2 people found this helpful