Sign in with Facebook
364th out of 627 books
—
1,263 voters
Wilfair (Wilfair #1)
by
Alysia Gray Painter (Goodreads Author)
A late-blooming heiress runs a posh hotel next door to a shy guy and the little motel he oversees. Her task? Steal his pool for her pool-less hotel. Strange things happen, adventures are had, feelings are felt, and cheese dip is eaten.
ebook, 114 pages
Published
May 24th 2011
(first published May 11th 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
151)
Aug 30, 2012
Bazi
added it
Yeah there could've been a few less inner monologues about "like" and "ish" BUT at the same time it all adds towards a picture of our storyteller that was really genuine. I felt Fair Finley's (Like a lot of this book: yes, almost toooo quirky but yes, I still love it not despite but because of the quirks? Or both? Anyway Fair Finley is an adorable gamine-y name.) embarrassments and small/big triumphs and unsureness and her constantly trying to pull up her big girl pants, so to speak. And I liked...more
This is a Quirky Book. I was pretty much cool with the quirky plot AND quirky narrative form (which is told from Fair's perspective). Fair Finley is a hotel heiress who runs a famous Hollywood hotel. She dresses like a 1940s film star, but has not yet come into her own as a hotel magnate, despite her parent hopes. She tends to over-apologize via fruit baskets, and can't get the nerve to steal the neighboring motel's swimming pool. That's right. Her famous hotel, where each floor is a different d...more
The basics of this are good -- interesting characters and setting, although the narrator seems a bit young for 19. Still, it's a fun little romance, although I didn't care for the "to-be-continued" type ending. What I liked least was the overwhelming amount of clever wordplay and general overwriting it contained -- the author could've cut about half of it out and still been left with a fun YA novel with a distinctive voice and style. Instead, there was a lot here that I just skimmed over because...more
A young woman manages the WilFair Hotel. The hotel style is a combination of styles. They are Traditional-Spanish Deco-Rococo-Gothic-Storybook-Mission-Modern in layers. It has a working Ferris Wheel in the lobby plus it features a 500 dip bar. Fair Finley the manager, dresses in vintage Hollywood.
Reading this book in one giant exercise in making pictures in your head. The vocabulary often includes made up words.
I read this on Kindle. If I had had a book in hand I would have flipped back many tim...more
Reading this book in one giant exercise in making pictures in your head. The vocabulary often includes made up words.
I read this on Kindle. If I had had a book in hand I would have flipped back many tim...more
Extremely tiresome and difficult to read. The amount of effort it took to divine the story amid all the quirkiness was not worth it. Here are some quotes from the novel that I highlighted in lieu of screaming at my Kindle and flinging it out of a window:
"Those delightful youngsters do so adore the ba-nuh-na-na-na fountain.” I had no idea what a banana fountain was, but heavens knows it sounded very 1936, and heaven knows I liked adding extra “-na”s to the end to up its exoticness, and heaven kno...more
Jan 29, 2013
Nikki
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Nikki by:
won a copy from the author through foreveryoungadult.com
Shelves:
kindle,
young-adult
The biggest standout in this book that will be make-or-break for most readers is the writing - Fair Finley’s voice - which is a lot like Lemony Snicket and Joss Whedon+writers* circa Buffy's high school years, on speed, shifted into overdrive, and examined under a microscope. It takes some getting used to and can be obnoxious at times, but it also perfectly suits the main character as it showcases her own internal sociological system and subsequent lingo thanks to the personally-solitary and uni...more
It was cute, but almost collapses under the weight of its cuteness. I long to be Painter's editor, so I can slash out about half of the super-quirky things that Fair thinks. And as someone who adored "Pushing Daisies", I have a high tolerance for quirk. However, as a fun, quick read, with an intriguing plot, it's pretty good. It just needs a better editor.
I liked it, it was cute and Fair is kinda adorable but it's written in a too cute style, too many made-up words and acronyms or expressions. It would most likely be much better with some heavy editing. Which is too bad because the premise of the book is quite original. Nonetheless, I'll be reading the next one because I do want to know what is going on as this was ended leaving things very much open.
Reread this and liked it more now, the style didn't bother me as much as it apparently did the fi...more
Reread this and liked it more now, the style didn't bother me as much as it apparently did the fi...more
view all 5 comments
Wilfair is not easy to describe. I came to it because one of my best friends was squeeing about it and wanted someone to squee with. Within the first few pages I fell in love with the flawed, clever, incredibly funny narrator Fair Finley, who plays with words as much as my friends and I do. Once the mystery started unfolding, I couldn't put it down.
Next step: order Redwoodian!
Next step: order Redwoodian!
A little too quirky at times, but I love Fair and the two Montgomeries (not to mention Sutton and Prior Yates) and can't wait for the next one to see where the story goes.
This book is ridiculously delightful and delightfully ridiculous. I adore magic realism, and Alysia Gray Painter's version is heavy on the magic (and the charm).
Apr 20, 2013
Dena
is currently reading it
Feb 09, 2013
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Feb 04, 2013
Rochelle
marked it as to-read
Jan 20, 2013
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Dec 13, 2012
Katelyn Shear
marked it as to-read
Dec 12, 2012
Kristin
marked it as to-read
Dec 10, 2012
Kirsten
marked it as to-read
Nov 25, 2012
Rebecca Charlesworth
marked it as to-read
Oct 29, 2012
Raquel slaughter
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Pros: I write about travel, hotels, festivals, and food for NBC Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. The Discovery Prize in American Humor and a regional writing Emmy nomination are two bullet points on my CV. I'm that person who will kiss your dog even though I just met your dog. I pre-like everything.
Cons: I'll sometimes list pros and cons rather than write an actual bio. I'll use "CV" eve...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
