2024 the best of us book review

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(as of Nov 16, 2024 22:15:15 UTC - Details)

Paradise isn’t quite what it seems as four college friends meet for an island vacation in this captivating new novel from the acclaimed author of These Girls.

An all-expense-paid week at a luxury villa in Jamaica—it’s the invitation of a lifetime for a group of old college friends. All four women are desperate not just for a reunion, but for an escape: Tina is drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie is shattered by the news that a genetic illness runs in her family. Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband’s infidelity. And, finally, there’s Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her wealthy husband an unforgettable thirty-fifth birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss over the cracks already splitting apart their new marriage.

Languid hours on a private beach, gourmet dinners, and late nights of drinking kick off an idyllic week for the women and their husbands. But as a powerful hurricane bears down on the island, turmoil swirls inside the villa, forcing each of the women to reevaluate everything she knows about her friends—and herself.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008J4PJXW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Washington Square Press (April 9, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 9, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5171 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
Reviewer: Bellingham Bookworm
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An engaging book from one of my favorite authors
Review: I've been hooked on Sarah Pekkanen since her first novel. She writes in such an engaging way that I always end up feeling emotionally invested in her characters. This book is no exception.There are a lot of characters to keep track of but the women are the stars of this book. I love how Sarah is able to describe someone without turning them into caricatures. These women have depth and complicated feelings and aren't just pigeonholed as clichéd stereotypes like the harried housewife, slutty single girl, cold outsider of the group and the perfect woman.It is so refreshing to read a book like this. The characters are multi-dimensional, the story line flows seamlessly between the chapters, and the characters tackle serious issues without getting preachy or being too flip. I just can't recommend this book enough.

Reviewer: L. Erickson
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good 'Married with Kids' Chicklit, Tho Some Farfetched Moments
Review: I call books like this 'Married with Kids' chicklit, because that's who it is mostly targeted to - those of us who want to indulge in a chicklit type book once in awhile, but are past those that focus on 20-somethings and aren't interested in the Harlequin romance type variations. This particular book fits the bill. It centers on 3 girl friends - one an exhausted mother of 4 struggling to keep it together, one a slightly less exhausted mother of two who has just learned her birth father may have had a fatal genetic disease, and one recently separated from her husband and trying to figure out what to do next with her life. They are invited by the new wife of a male college friend to an indulgent birthday bash in the Caribbean. While there, all of the cracks in their lives and relationships are exposed.All of the story takes place in the 1 week they are at this vacation home, with emotional dramas unfolding and shifting between them day by day. The narrative rotates between characters from chapter to chapter. There isn't any other plot besides the events of this week, so if you don't like books that focus on emotional journeys, then this one isn't for you. I found the characters satisfying enough, although because it rotates between them, we don't get to know any of them too well. The vacation setup seemed a little farfetched, and their misunderstandings sometimes felt like clumsy plot devices, but in the end most of their journeys had an authentic resonance to them. I didn't 5-star love it, but it certainly was a good read.

Reviewer: SmileOnSally
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A light summer read
Review: This book was decent - not spectacular by any stretch - but light and fun to read at the beach.Here's what I liked:- Great premise: a group of old college friends invited on an extravagant all-expense-paid trip to Jamaica by the "nerd" of the group who grew up to be a big success. This sounds simply delicious and it is, for the most part.- Loved the descriptions of the setting and the sumptuous lifestyle this group gets exposed to, including a sunset helicopter ride, massages and pedicures on the beach, gourmet dinners, and a beautiful waterfront house with every amenity you can imagine and then a few more.- Good believable dialogue between the characters, and plenty of movement in the plot (no slow lags).- Good ending/well done.The problems with the book that kept it from being a 5 star for me:- I had a very hard time liking the most of the characters until the very end of the book, when they all turned around and became better people/showed a better side of themselves (well, except from Dwight, who got worse in my opinion. Oh, and Pauline and Gary didn't improve by much either). During the bad part, each person was acting like a jerk and there wasn't a good reason for being such big jerks, nor were there good reasons revealed at a later time for their bad behavior. Allie in particular was a character that I had a hard time believing. This was the part that I had to force myself to keep reading. I'm glad I did, though (see good stuff above).- The writing itself is very basic. I read, partly, for the pleasure of language. Someone who is brilliant, say Pat Conroy, is a joy to read. This author's writing is functional - telling the story - but that's it.- The characters were less than well fleshed out. Many things were left unexplained about their behavior.Generally, I would recommend this to someone who wants a light and fun read, but not to anyone who's looking for deeper characterizations or anyone who insists on a brilliant writing style/literature.

Reviewer: Patricia J. Mills
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: decadent and delicious!!!
Review: This is a book about women, the hopes, dreams, faults, failings, and secrets of all of us.This is a beautifully told story about the best and the worst of four women, three of whom knew each other so well and yet, really not at all. Most of us can relate to at least one of these women, if not all of them.A week away in an island paradise seemed to good to be true and as are most such things, it was. Emotions run high as the couples cut loose and are hell bent on making the most of each moment, so much so that there are unexpected clashes as long ago feelings come to the surface. Add to all this a hurricane, a unexpected death in one family, and past due confessions.Sarah Pekannen hits the mark with this warm, witty, novel told with compassion and understanding! Don'tmiss this one!!

Reviewer: Jo E
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Really great read
Review: I have read all of Sarah's books and I have really enjoyed all of them... They're really easy reads. And I like all the different sorts of relationships in them including friendships and romantic relationships. While reading this book I felt happy, sad and curious and even laughed out loud. I could really relate to the book because Sarah's characters seem so real and a normal which I really like. There were several times where I really reflected on my life and I guess that's what a good book is all about. When I start one of Sarah's books, I can barely put it down and very rarely take more than two days to read them even if I'm really busy. I can't wait for Sarah's next book.

Reviewer: Diane
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A group of old college friends are invited to an all expenses paid trip to Jamaica. All of the females in the group are struggling with personal decisions. They are all looking forward to this trip to relax and enjoy each other's company. With a hurricane about to arrive on their doorstep, each of the characters has a chance to reflect and learn things about themselves and each other.I liked the story, it was well written and interesting.

Reviewer: mondralala
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A perfect beach-read is not enough to say about this book, although this is exactly the place where I mostly read it. It is so much more than that!The story revolves around four couples and is set in a dream-land of Jamaica. The Author beautifully describes the surroundings, the white sheets-and sofas villa, comfortable pool and hot tub, sophisticated courses served by a chef hired exclusively for the holidays too cook for them, and, of course, the beach at the Caribbean Sea. The Author cares about details, but does not bore you with them.But most of all she vividly describes the characters, especially women, so you can easily identify with them and care about them as if their lives were connected with yours. You are intrigued with the plot, which is based on their relations entirely: relations between husband and wife, mother and child (or four in Tina’s case) and friend to friend (both men and women). It is presented truthfully and convincingly without clichés and shortcuts.It is deeply involving, cannot-put-it down book and I recommend it to all who like real stories about ordinary people, especially if they go for holidays to such an extraordinary place like Jamaica. The story will take you there with them.

Reviewer: Leslie
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Book was indicated to be new but there was more wear to the cover than I would expect.