Archives for September 2017

Welcome to “Worth the Read?” where I give you my honest opinion on whether you should spend your precious time reading a super-hyped New York Times Bestseller.

Today’s book is:

One of Us Is Lying, by Karen M. McManus

On New York Times Best Sellers list (Young Adult Hardcover) for 13 weeks

The Hype:

Before its end-of-May publication date, One of Us Is Lying was very well publicized and marketed, which resulted in its inclusion on a bunch of “most anticipated books of 2017” lists. One such list was from Entertainment Weekly, which called the book, “Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club.” Personally, I think a description like that makes the book irresistible to today’s young readers as well as to those who grew up on John Hughes films, thus reaching a pretty wide audience.

Plot Summary:

From the publisher

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Thoughts:

As I mentioned above, the EW blurb for the book, “Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club,” was very compelling and it got me to pick up One of Us Is Lying. I was definitely in it for the The Breakfast Club aspect of the story, but was curious to see how McManus weaved a mysterious death into the picture.

The book follows a rotating-narrator structure and we hear from all the students who were in detention that day (except the dead one, of course). Like The Breakfast Club, each student seems like a stereotype, but as the story unfolds, we learn there’s more to each of them. I liked that they weren’t super one-dimensional, but the revelation of the other facets of their personalities was a bit predictable.

I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan, so McManus’ use of the locked-room-mystery-inspired plotline appealed to me off the bat.  The pacing of the book leading up to the end was fast-paced and kept me engaged. I read it as an audiobook, and I found that I actually looked forward to getting in my car or doing chores because it gave me the opportunity to hear a bit more of the story. I didn’t predict the ending, and even though it was a little farfetched, the solution to the mystery was still surprising and satisfying.

Since The Breakfast Club reference is what drew me to read One of Us Is Lying, I wish there had been more nods to the ‘80s, but I’m still glad I read it. I’m not sure how accurate McManus was of her portrayal of high-school life today, but if her depiction is on point,  it made me very glad that I’m not a teen in today’s social-media obsessed world!

Rating:

85% worth it

Rating Key

80% – 100% – the book lives up to the hype. Go read it now!
60% – 79% – the book is good, but there’s no rush to read it
40% – 59% – the book has some degree of merit, but has flaws and probably isn’t worth your time
0% – 39% – the book stinks and isn’t worth the read

Have you read One of Us Is Lying  What were your thoughts? Share in the comments below!

Welcome to “Worth the Read?” where I give you my honest opinion on whether you should spend your precious time reading a super-hyped New York Times Bestseller.

Today’s book is:

I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons, by Kevin Hart

Funny thing…I took a little too long getting through I Can’t Make This Up. It was on the bestseller list when I started, but wasn’t anymore once I finished. Regardless, it’s still one of Amazon’s top sellers, so I’m still going to write about it 🙂

On bestsellers list for 10 weeks

The Hype:

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart has blown up in the last five years, selling out football stadiums and bringing in serious cash for his movies. Basically, everything he touches recently turns to gold, so it’s no surprise his book would be a bestseller.

Plot Summary:

Seeing as I Can’t Make This Up is a memoir/self-helpish book, there isn’t a traditional plot, but it chronicles Kevin Hart’s life from his early years growing up with a super strict mom in the rough parts of Philadelphia all the way to his present, very successful life as a celebrity. He covers the time in his 20s as he was working his way up the comedy stand-up ladder, his tumultuous relationship with the mother of his children, backstage time playing video games with his crew of friends (the Plastic Cup Boyz), and much more, along with doses of advice throughout.

Thoughts:

I am a sucker for comedian memoirs, especially in the audiobook format, and I Can’t Make This Up was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Learning about Kevin Hart’s tough upbringing and the incredible amount of effort he put into honing his craft and promoting his career made me see him a very different light. He’s not just a super-rich celebrity in my mind, but a real person.

And while the book allowed me to understand the more serious sides of Kevin Hart, the writing itself is hilarious and uplifting. It could have been trimmed down a little — at 401 pages, it’s a bit long — but it is entertaining and moves along well. I was particularly impressed with Hart’s use of vocabulary. Most comedian memoirs I’ve read keep the text pretty simple, but Hart throws in a bunch of great SAT-worthy words throughout the book.

Hart also did a really good job at striking a balance between being proud of his success but being humble and thankful. He is honest about both the highs and the lows of his life, and has insightful advice to impart. One of my favorite lessons is:

“Your life today is the sum total of your choices. So if you’re not happy with it, look back at your choices and start making different ones. Even if you are struck by lighting and injured, you made choices that led you to that spot at a particular time – and you get to choose how you feel about it afterward.”

I would definitely recommend reading I Can’t Make This Up as an audiobook. I haven’t looked at a hard copy of the book, but I’m pretty sure Kevin Hart throws in a bunch of extra funny commentary that isn’t in the original text. One thing to note: there is a good deal of cursing, so don’t listen to the book with young ears around!

Rating:

85% worth it, especially if you already like Kevin Hart’s stand-up and acting

Rating Key

80% – 100% – the book lives up to the hype. Go read it now!

60% – 79% – the book is good, but there’s no rush to read it

40% – 59% – the book has some degree of merit, but has flaws and probably isn’t worth your time

0% – 39% – the book stinks and isn’t worth the read

Have you read I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons?  What were your thoughts? Share in the comments below!