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Book Review: My Friend Leonard by James Frey

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
my-friend-leonard-fray-book-cover My Friend Leonard is the follow up book to A Million Little Pieces, which I have reviewed here.

My Friend Leonard is another addictive read from James Frey.

From the cover:

My Friend Leonard is the story of an extraordinary friendship formed in the most unlikely circumstances.

While in rehab, James Frey finds a father figure in Leonard, a shady mafia boss. When Leonard returns to his dubious, prosperous life in the criminal underworld of Las Vegas, he promises James his support on the outside.

[Continued below…]

Tragedy strikes the day James is released and his world seems set to implode. Unsure where to turn, he calls Leonard. Paradoxically, it is in Leonard’s lawless underworld that James discovers the courage and humanity needed to rebuild his life.

(From: Frey, 2006)

There are two plots running concurrently throughout this book. James’ and Leonard’s. James’ plot was predictable and at times felt as though it lacked direction. Leonard’s plot was much more exciting with some massively unexpected, yet pleasant twists.

The engaging writer’s voice keeps the Reader reading on. The plot is suitably fast-paced and slower-paced in all the appropriate places. The Reader will empathise with the characters and come to care for them. This in turn creates a desire in the Reader to find out what happens to them.

Although it’s probably not fair to compare A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard, one can’t help but to do so. A Million Little Pieces is undoubtably better than this book.

That said, if you’ve read A Million Little Pieces, My Friend Leonard is an essential read as it finishes the story.

My Friend Leonard is available to buy on Amazon.

Review soon,

Antony

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Book Review: Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
eve-&-adam-book-cover After being hit by the car, Eve goes flying through the air. The next thing she’s vaguely aware of what’s happening – her mother arguing with the doctor and then being transferred to her rich mother’s pharmaceutical headquarters.

It’s like a private hospital where Eve is the only patient. As she recovers, she’s got sexy Solo pushing her around in a wheelchair. Then she comes to an agreement with her mother to trial software to create the perfect man for herself, who she names Adam.

But there are secrets everywhere. Eve is about to uncover these secrets and then will have to make some difficult choices about what to do with the truth.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. Especially after loving Michael Grant’s Gone Series and knowing that Katherine Applegate is his wife. I hate to give a bad review, but I was disappointed with Eve & Adam.

I just didn’t care about any of the characters. At the beginning of the book as Eve is flying through the air thinking that her life is about to end. Rather than thinking of loved ones, she thinks about an Apple. I felt that the authors had done this conceitedly to make links to Adam & Eve for the purpose of marketing the book. It felt unnatural and therefore Eve felt unreal.

Solo marginally more real, but was a great source of conflict for me. He’s this techno whizz-kid who is described as looking like a surfer, yet doesn’t know some of the fundamental details of his own history. Details that would have been in the computer systems that he so expertly knows after living at the pharmaceutical headquarters for so long.

Aislin, Eve’s best friend did have some believability and depth but was a minor character. It’s always worrying when authors make a minor character more interesting than a main character.

A problem I had with all of the characters is that they conveniently had all of the knowledge, skills, equipment and resources as they needed them. The authors did this by slotting a sentence of backstory in that the reader didn’t know up until the point the characters needed something. It felt like very convenient and lazy storytelling.

The plot was tediously predictable at times verged on being boring. The only reason I carried on reading when I felt bored was because I was half way through the book. I hoped it would get better, have some interesting plot twists, but it didn’t.

Eve & Adam isn’t badly written. The description, dialogue, grammar, punctuation and spelling are all good. It was just the characters and plot that I didn’t enjoy.

Eve & Adam is available to buy on Amazon.

Review soon,

Antony

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